Malfoy and the Mudblood
by Jessica Lynne Greenleaf
Summary: This story does not follow years six and seven, and slight alterations to previous years. A fourth member of the Golden troop Harry, Ron, and Hermione starts off sixth year be partnered with Draco for a project. Will she survive? Please Review! Draco/OC
1. Back at Hogwarts

I do not in any way own Harry Potter, nor do I claim to.

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It was the beginning of a new year at Hogwarts as Jessica walked down the hall. She was heading to the Great Hall for the opening of the year feast. Jessica was as happy as could be, nothing could ruin her mood, except maybe…

"Omph!" Jessica collided with a hard object and fell back unto the floor. "I'm sorry" she said as she looked to see who she ran into. Malfoy. He was looking at her with his eyes narrowed.

"Watch where you're going, mudblood." Malfoy said as he got up and brushed himself off. "Don't want you dirtying my brand new robes." He sneered while looking down at her.

"Lay off Malfoy." She got up and walked to the Great Hall. When she got there she saw the normal candles floating in the air and the black ceiling with stars spotted around. It was good to be back. Jessica looked around and noticed a hand waving at her.

"Jess!" Shouted Hermione as she waved. Ron and Harry turned their heads and looked at Jess. All three of them were smiling as she made her way over. Hermione scooted over for her to sit down. Jess sat down in-between her and Ron.

"How was your summer?" Hermione asked before either of the boys could.

"Oh, it was fun. I missed all of you guys though." She smiled warmly as she looked at her friends.

"Yes, you should come and visit us next summer." Ron suggested as he smiled. "You live so far away you know."

"I can't help that though, Ron. But yeah, I'll see if my parents can't get my ticket back to America a couple weeks later."

"That would be great! It might convince Harry to come over sooner."

"You think I want to stay at the Dursley's? You're off your rocker if you think so!" Harry looked over to Ron who was laughing.

"Anyone who wanted to stay with them would be off their rocker." Ron replied.

"True, trust me I would much rather come with you."

"Maybe you can."

"Dumbledore wants me to stay there part of the summer."

"I don't understand why."

"Me either." Harry shrugged as he tried to think of a reason.

"Think of it this way Harry. You only have to endure one more summer with them." Hermione said with a smile.

"But a summer there might kill him!" Ron laughed as Hermione hit him lightly. "Ow! What was that for?!"

"Never mind." She directed her attention back to Jess. "You could stay at our house. I'm sure mum and dad wouldn't mind."

"I'll send mom and dad an owl once everything is settled down." Jess smiled and looked to the front of the room. The first years were up there being sorted.

"It seems like forever ago when we were up there." Hermione stated as a young boy was announced as a Hufflepuff.

"Maybe because it was forever ago." Ron retorted. "What was it five years ago that we were up there?"

"Sounds about right." Harry watched a girl join Gryffindor. Harry, Ron, Hermione, and Jess were all starting their sixth year. Once the sorting was done food appeared.

"Good, I'm starving!" Ron grinned as he grabbed a roll and some chicken. They all ate in silence for a while before someone spoke. Hermione was the one to break the silence and start up a topic about what classes they would be taking this year. Ron seemed to be less than interested in the topic and turned to Harry to discuss something more enjoyable. Once Hermione was done with talking about school they all joined back into the same conversation. They continued chatting while eating until dinner was done. When they finished the plates were wiped clean and they went up to the Gryffindor house. After saying the password, they all were in the common room. Jess yawned as Ron sat down in a chair.

"I think I'm going to head to bed." She said while rubbing her eyes.

"I think I'm going to as well." Hermione began walking towards the stairs. "Night boys."

"Goodnight." They both responded as the girls headed up to their dorm. Jess and Hermione have the same dorm room. They both changed into their pajamas and got in their separate beds.

Jess looked over at Hermione. "I already got bugged by Malfoy."

Hermione turned and looked at her. "What did he say?"

"I ran into him. He said the usual. Called me a mudblood."

"He's such a piece of work."

"Well, we all know that." Hermione laughed.

"Don't let him get to you, Jess."

"I won't."

"Good, goodnight."

"Night." Jess shut off her light and fell asleep.

In the morning Jess got dressed and headed downstairs to the Gryffindor common room. She woke up earlier than she normally did. Hardly anyone was in the common room as she walked out and to the Great Hall.

"Move it, mudblood." She heard from behind her as she was right in front of the Great Hall. Her green eyes narrowed as she turned around to see a boy with platinum blonde hair and blue eyes looking at her.

"I said move!" He shouted at her. It was Malfoy, again, this time with his idiot cronies Crabbe and Goyle.

"Say please." Jess responded back.

Malfoy laughed and after a second Crabbe and Goyle got the hint and started laughing too. "Say please, to you? Highly unlikely Anderson." Malfoy replied as he pushed by her, followed by Crabbe and Goyle.

Jess grunted and walked in after them. She would just love to slap him on the face in front of everyone there but resisted as she sat down at the Gryffindor table. After a little while Hermione came in, followed by Harry and Ron. They ate and then went to their first class, Transfiguration, with their Head of House, Professor McGonagall.

Professor McGonagall brought the class to order rather quickly. Their task was to turn a cactus into a fishbowl. This seemed to be easy enough except for Neville, who's fishbowl was still prickly. Their next class was Care for Magical Creatures which was taught by Hagrid. They all walked out unto the grounds and over to Hagrid's hut where he was standing there waiting.

"Hello, how was all of yer summers?" He asked as he looked at them.

"Good." They all replied They talked about what they did over the summer until the entire class was present. Gryffindor had this class with Slytherin. Which of course meant Malfoy was present. He was arrogant as usual. Making not only Jess irritated but Harry, Ron, especially Ron, Hermione and Hagrid.

"What is that?" Malfoy said while walking over to the box Hagrid had the creatures in. He peeked in and grabbed one. "Its nothing more than a fluff ball. What's so dangerous about this?" Malfoy held it up so all of the Slytherin's could see it. They all laughed at the pitiful excuse of a fluff ball. Malfoy smirked and laughed as well. The fluff ball bit Malfoy hard on the hand. "Ouch you little rat!" He threw the fluff ball back down rather roughly into the box and walked away from it.

"Yeh be careful next time it don' bite of yer finger!" Hagrid said in a annoyed voice as he bent down in the box and checked to see if the fluff ball was okay.

Pansy, a Slytherin girl who liked Malfoy too much for her own good, ran over and clung on Malfoy's arm. "Are you alright Draco? Did that stupid thing hurt you?"

"I'm fine Pansy." He shrugged her off. Satisfied with the state of Malfoy, Pansy walked back over to Millicent, another Slytherin girl, and talked.

Both Jess and Hermione rolled their eyes at how pathetic Pansy was. Hagrid continued talking about the fluff ball for a while before letting the students hold them.

Jess was holding one in her arms. It was making a soft purring like noise. Hagrid walked over and put a big hand on her shoulder. "I 'hink he likes yeh." He smiled as he walked away to see how everyone else was doing. Malfoy then walked over and took the fluff ball from Jess.

"Hey give him back!" She shouted while reaching for the fluff ball.

"Him? How can you tell?" Malfoy lifted it above his head to get a better look.

"Malfoy stop it! You're going to hurt him!"

"Oh sorry, here's your boyfriend back." Malfoy retorted as he tossed the fluff ball back to her and walked away.

"Jerk" she muttered as she pet the fluff ball. Jess then handed it to Hermione for her turn.

Hermione softly pet it while it started purring again. "He is such a twit." She said referring to Malfoy.

"What do you expect from him?" Jess said while quickly looking over at him.

"Nothing." Hagrid collected all of the fluff balls back shortly before the bell rang. Everyone then headed off to lunch. Their last class finally came. Potions, with everyone's favorite teacher, Snape. To make things worse Gryffindor had this class with none other than Slytherin. Everyone piled into the room and grabbed a seat. Snape looked as though he was waiting for someone with a rather annoyed look on his face. A few minutes later Professor McGonagall walked in with a piece of parchment in her hand. Everyone looked at her, confused as to why she was in the room.

She cleared her throat and began to speak. "Today you will be starting a project that we have just added to the curriculum for sixth years. You will have a partner of the opposite gender. For this project you and your partner will be living together as a married couple." She glanced around the room to see most of the classes horrified looks. "There will be a spell put on your rooms so there will be no inappropriate behavior." This time she more glanced at the boys in the room. "After two weeks you will be getting a child who looks like you and it will be made from your DNA by a spell. This project will last six weeks. Are there any questions?" Everyone shook their head no. "Also when you get your child you will have a period off each day to spend time with your child." McGonagall then opened the parchment. "I will now be reading off the pairs. Once I am done you will be dismissed to pack your things. You will be moved into a special floor where you will have a common, a bathroom and a bedroom with two beds." She then looked down at the list. "The first pair is, Lavender Brown and Ron Weasley."

Lavender looked over at Ron and smiled. Ron smiled back, "it could have been much worse."

"Hermione Granger and Seamus Finnegan." Hermione looked over at Seamus before McGonagall continued. "Pansy Parkinson and Neville Longbottom." The look on Pansy's face was priceless. She looked as though someone had murdered her precious Draco right before her own eyes. Neville looked stunned and didn't say a thing.

McGonagall called off a few more pairs before saying. "Parvati Patil and Harry Potter." Harry smiled as her, hoping she still wasn't upset about the Yule Ball two years ago. Professor McGonagall continued through the list, a few more groans happened in-between the reading of some pairs. "And lastly, Jessica Anderson and Draco Malfoy."

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Chapter one is up! Please review, thanks!-Jess


	2. The beginning of her torture

Thank you for those of you that have reviewed thus far! Sadly, I do not own Harry Potter.

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Jess' eyes widened to an unimaginable size. Malfoy? She was stuck living with Malfoy for the next six weeks? How could it get any worse?

Malfoy stood outraged. "I refuse to share a room with that muggle!" He hissed while pointing at Jess. His eyebrows were furrowed and his face was red with anger.

"Mr. Malfoy this is how we paired you up. And this is how its going to stay." Professor McGonagall replied while putting away the list.

"My father will here about this!" He stomped his foot and stormed off. Crabbe and Goyle rushed after him. Jess sat there for a moment silently. Hermione, Harry and Ron all looked and each other. They didn't know what to say or how to comfort her. Malfoy was the worst possible person to be with. Jess sighed and went up to the Gryffindor house. She packed her trunk in silence.

Hermione came in moments later. "I'm so sorry Jess." It was all she could think of to say.

"Its not your fault Hermione. I'll be fine. If he bugs me too much I'll let you know." Jess turned around and looked at her. A weak smile was on Hermione's face. They finished packing and met in Professor McGonagall's room. Everyone looked not pleased as McGonagall walked in followed by Snape.

"Follow us up to your rooms." McGonagall walked out of the room. The students followed after her and Snape took the rear. McGonagall sorted them all to their respective rooms. "You will be spending the rest of the evening getting more acquainted with your partner." Everyone walked into their respected rooms. Malfoy strutted into the room first. Jess followed after him at a distance. The common room was good sized. There was a couch and two chairs. Jess then walked into the bedroom. Just like Professor McGonagall said there were two beds. The one closer to her had deep green sheets. Malfoy's no doubt. Green was one of Slytherin's colors. The bed closest to the window had a deep red, maroon color. This was her bed, since that was one of the Gryffindor's colors. She put her trunk by the foot of her bed. Malfoy left the common room and went to see the bathroom. It was good sized and there was a big vanity mirror. He then walked into the bedroom to see jess unpacking. He grunted as he walked over to his bed with his trunk. They both unpacked in silence. Once Jess was done she went into the common room. Malfoy walked into the room and walked to the door to leave their living quarters.

"Where are you going?" She sat down on the couch and looked over at him.

He turned around, an eyebrow raised while looking at her. "I don't have to report to you, mudblood."

"Look I don't want to spend time with you but Professor McGonagall said…" She was cut off by Malfoy laughing.

"You think I case what she has to say? I'm not going to listen to her it if means I'm around you more than I physically have to." With that Malfoy walked out of the room. Jess shook her head.

"I can't believe him! Like I want to spend time with a stuck up brat who has no decency to be civil to anyone? I would be more than happy to switch him out for just about anyone. He's such a chauvinistic pig!" She stood up and walked out the door. "Crud, I didn't pay attention to where Hermione, Ron or Harry's rooms were!" Jess ran a hand through her long, thick, brown hair. There was only one way to find out. Try knocking on doors. She walked up and tried the door across the hall. The door opened to reveal none other than Harry Potter.

"Harry!" She smiled as she looked at him.

"Hey Jess." He smiled back. "What are you doing out here?"

"My "partner" left me to go find his idiot friends."

"Oh, well would you like to come in?"

"Sure." She smiled as Harry opened the door wider for her to come in. She walked in and noticed Parvati. "Hi." Parvati smiled and went back to her homework. Harry sat down on the couch and motioned for Jess to sit down. Jess sat down next to him.

"So how are you holding up?" He asked while looking at her.

"I really haven't had too much to complain about so far. Except for the fact that he's a complete jerk. Besides that I'm holding up just fine."

Harry cringed as she talked. He could tell it was going to be a real struggle for her to put up with him for a week, let alone six weeks. "I'm really sorry Jess. If there's anything I can do to help, let me know."

"Thanks Harry. I just have to suck it up and deal with it."

"I wish you didn't have to."

"Me and you both." They both laughed at her statement. Parvati closed her book and got up.

"Its dinner time you two." With that she walked out of the room and out towards the Great Hall. Jess and Harry followed after her. Soon they caught up with Ron and Hermione. Dinner was rather nice. Harry, Hermione and Ron helped Jess keep her mind off the daunting task ahead of her. Malfoy sat at the Slytherin table with Crabbe and Goyle.

"Its going to be dreadful. Six weeks with that disgusting Mudblood. Wish me luck, I'm going to need it. Hopefully I'll make it out alive." Malfoy boasted trying to sound all heroic. As if he was going off into a battle or about to slay a dragon. Pansy bought it. She clung to Malfoy's arm, almost crying.

"Poor Draco! She better not touch you! That disgusting Mudblood! I wish there was something I could do. I know! We can switch partners! She can be with that squib Neville and you can be with me!" Pansy had a big smile on her face. Malfoy looked as though he was about to hurl.

"That won't work." Zabini, another of Malfoy's friends replied. "Think of it this way. You're stuck with the hottest girl in our year. I bet she's easy."

"She's a Mudblood!" Malfoy snapped, "I wouldn't dare touch her. Let alone like that."

"Draco, Draco… Look at her." Zabini turned Malfoy's head to face her. "She's hot. Besides you wouldn't have to commit to anything."

"Perhaps." A smirk played on his lips. Dinner finished and the students all returned to their rooms. Jess cracked open her book for Transfiguration and started reading. Malfoy lazily walked into the room and plopped down on the couch. He looked over and noticed her at work.

"What are you doing in here mudblood?"

Jess didn't look up form her reading as she responded. "My reading for Transfiguration."

"Well go into another room. I don't want to look at you."

"I have just as much right to be in here as you do."

"No you don't."

"Oh? Care to explain?"

"I would rather not." He turned his head and looked away from her and rubbed his knuckles on his shirt.

"If you can't give me a good reason I'm staying."

"You're a mudblood."

Jess' head snapped up from her reading and she glared at Malfoy. "Will you stop calling me that?!"

"What? Mudblood?" He smirked as he saw her get more riled up.

"Yes that!"

"No. Its what you are."

"Well you're a prick! Should I address you as such?"

Malfoy looked at her. "Don't you even think about calling me that."

"Prick!"

"Mudblood!" Malfoy grabbed her wrist. "I don't want to be called that."

"Then call me by a nicer name."

"No, you don't deserve better." Malfoy released her wrist and got up. He walked into their bedroom.

"Err!! The nerve!" A smirk was on Malfoy's face as he laughed at her frustration.

"Stupid muggle-born." He then pulled out his potions book. After a few hours Jess walked into the room. Malfoy looked up briefly then looked back at his book. "What do you want?"

"None of your business!" She grabbed her pajamas and stalked out of the room. Jess walked into the bathroom and shut the door behind her. Locking it just in case Malfoy tried to come in. She never knew what he might do. Placing her pajamas in a spot where they wouldn't get wet, Jess then turned the water on. A shower would hopefully calm her down. She discarded her clothes and got in, shutting the curtain behind her. The warm water felt wonderful. It splashed against her face as she closed her eyes. After fifteen minutes she emerged out of the bathroom in her pajamas. She put her dirty clothes where they belonged, and walked back into the bedroom. Malfoy was already in his bed. Jess walked over and crawled into hers. Not one of them uttered a goodnight, as Jess shut of her light and then they both went to sleep.

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Well, chapter two is up now! Please review!


	3. Friendly Visit

I thank you all again for the reviews! Also, if you had the notion that I own Harry Potter, I don't. One other note, at the end of the chapter I'll have an author's note so please read it. Thanks and enjoy!

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In the morning Jess woke up to the noise of Malfoy in the shower. She took this opportunity to get dressed and head down to breakfast. Malfoy followed suit after he was dressed and out of the shower. Jess glared at him as he walked into the Great Hall and sat down at the Slytherin table. Harry, Hermione and Ron noticed the look she gave him.

"Bad start?" Ron asked as he grabbed for his cup.

"He think's he's so much better than me, its maddening." Jess replied while looking at Ron.

Hermione shook her head. "He isn't though and you know that."

"All Malfoy has is rich parents and an over inflated ego." Harry responded, hoping to cheer her up.

"You're right. I should pity him instead for his lack of civil behavior." Jess said while laughing. They all laughed at her comment. Meanwhile, Malfoy was busy at the Slytherin table making fun of her. Crabbe and Goyle couldn't stop laughing. Pansy glared over at her, hoping somehow her look would hurt her. Malfoy had a smug look on his face. They all then headed to their first classes. The entire class part of the day was Malfoy free for Jess. After she finished her last class of the day she met Hermione in the library. Harry and Ron were discussing strategies for their next Quidditch game. After dinner, Jess finally ventured back into her and Malfoy's living quarters. When she got there she saw Malfoy lounged on the couch reading a magazine. Malfoy ignored her as she went into their bedroom. Jess sat down with a quill and a piece of parchment.

_Dear mom and dad,_

_I'm settled back into school now. Hermione, Harry and Ron all say hello. We are already back into the swing of school. I'm already working on a project. It's a family unit type of a project. I'm stuck with this complete and total brat as my "partner". We now share a bedroom, don't worry there are separate beds, a living room and a bathroom. There is a spell put on the room so nothing fishy happens. I don't even like him anyway. He drives me up a wall! Hope things are going well back at home._

_Love, Jessica_

She folded the letter and walked out of the bedroom. Malfoy didn't glance at her as she walked by. Jess walked up to the owlery with the letter in her hand. When she got there she looked for her snow owl, Silverwing. She stroked her softly and tied the letter to her leg. Silverwing nipped her finger lightly before flying off. Once she was out of sight, Jess walked back to her room. Malfoy was still on the couch, when she got there. This time he looked up for a moment as she sat in a chair. She sat there for a moment not knowing what to do. Jess decided to write another letter. This one to a friend.

_Rachel,_

_Have you started the project yet? This is my second night with my "partner". Its awful. I'm stuck with Malfoy!_

Jess looked up from her letter for a minute to see if he was paying any attention. Of course he wasn't.

_Hope your project is going better than mine._

_-Jess_

She then folded it and went back to the owlery and tied it on one of the school's owl's leg. It sat there waiting to deliver it to her in the morning, since her friend also went to Hogwarts. She sighed and walked back to her room. Malfoy looked up at her.

"Homesick, Anderson?" He sneered from above his magazine.

"No, why do you care anyway?" She looked back at him.

"I don't care."

"Then don't ask." Jess walked out of the room and into their bedroom. She didn't leave the room and fell asleep eventually.

The next day went by fast until the last class of the day. It was Jess' first Potions class of the year. The first scheduled one was used for explaining this accursed project. The Gryffindor's sat on one side of the room as the Slytherin's sat on the other. Snape got their attention quickly.

"Before we begin today, go and sit with your partners." Snape then turned around and began to write directions on the board. A large groan was emitted and everyone moved to sit with their partner. Seeing as though Malfoy wasn't going to move, Jess got up and sat by him. He didn't acknowledge her presence as Snape began to lecture. Jess wrote down all of the directions that were on the board. She then grabbed out her cauldron and sat it besides Malfoy's. Malfoy began to crush Scarab beetles. He didn't utter a word as he worked.

"You're actually helping me?" Jess looked over at him with a shocked look on her face.

"Look Anderson. I need the O." Malfoy didn't look up from his work as he spoke. Jess cut up some roots of a beech tree. She added it to the potion while stirring it. Malfoy dumped the crushed Scarab's into the cauldron; in turn the potion splashed up and got on Jess' robes.

"Watch it Malfoy!" She snapped as she wiped it off her robes. Snape lurked around the room, waiting for someone to mess up their potion. He probably wouldn't have to wait long, since Neville was in the class. The potion they were making helps cure the common cold, or at least relieve some of the symptoms. Randomly Snape would take five points from Gryffindor for not being far enough along with their potion. Jess and Malfoy worked quietly. They were the second pair done, of course Hermione and her partner Seamus were done first. The bell rang and everyone walked out of the classroom and back to their rooms. Jess sat down at the desk in their common room and began writing her essay for Potions that was due the beginning of next week. Malfoy scoffed at her diligence and went into the bathroom. It was already their third night today on the project. For Jess the time wasn't going fast enough. She wished there was some way she could speed up time. Malfoy soon came out of the bathroom. He opened the door of their dwelling place and walked out. Most likely going to find Crabbe and Goyle. It didn't bother Jess though. In fact it gave her time to herself, away from him. The more time the better. After an hour or so someone knocked on the door. Jess rose and paced over to the door. A girl with brown eyes and bushy hair met her on the other side.

"Hey, Hermione. Want to come in?" Jess opened the door wider to let her come in.

"Thanks! Is uh… you know who around?" Hermione peeked in and looked around.

"No, he left about an hour ago."

"Oh, good." Hermione smiled as she walked in. She sat on the couch and Jess joined her. "So how is your project going?"

"Its alright. I wasn't expecting it to be great or a good time. So, I'm not overly disappointed, besides the fact that I'm stuck with Malfoy."

"Maybe you can just avoid him."

"Usually one of us is gone trying to get away from the other."

"Well that's good. Listen, feel free anytime to come over to our place."

"Thanks. I'll have to take you up on that sometime. How is working with Seamus?"

"Not bad actually. Although I think he likes me."

"I wouldn't be too surprised."

"What's that supposed to mean?!"

"I don't mean anything by it, Hermione. I'm just saying I wouldn't doubt it if he possibly likes you."

"Oh… Alright. Hey want to go to the library?"

"No thanks. I was thinking of staying here and studying since Malfoy is gone."

"Oh, well let me go get my books and I'll join you."

"Sound great. Hey maybe Harry and Ron will want to join us."

Hermione's faced beamed with a smile. She was always happy when her and her friends got their work done, early was even better. Hermione got up and left the room. Fifteen minutes later she came back with her books. "They said they would join us after dinner. Meanwhile we can get a bit of studying for our Arithmancy done!" Hermione and Jess took this class while Harry and Ron took Divination. Hermione had walked out on Divination in their third year. Jess stuck out the year and decided to switch to Arithmancy in her fourth year. The two of them worked on their Arithmancy until dinner was ready. Hermione left her books in Jess' room since they would be studying there with Ron and Harry after dinner. They walked down to the Great Hall to see Harry and Ron already piling their plates with food. Hermione sat across from Ron and Jess sat across from Harry.

"So we are going to meet in Jess' room." Hermione wasted no time to get their plans for studying in order.

"But what about Malfoy?" Ron questioned. He didn't look as though he wanted any run in with Malfoy anytime soon.

"He probably won't come back into the room until he needs to. He'll probably think I'm in there and avoid the room." Jess said while taking a sip of her pumpkin juice.

"Alright then!" Ron had a grin on his face. They ate dinner and then headed to Harry and Ron's rooms to get their books. Once they retrieved them they went into Jess and Malfoy's room to study. A few hours passed until the door opened. Malfoy stepped in, the receding laughter of Crabbe and Goyle echoed down the halls. Ron's back tensed as he heard a oh-to familiar voice.

"Well, well, well. If it isn't Potty, Weasel and the know-it-all. Anderson I must have told you to keep your trash outside of the room." Malfoy sneered at each of them as he spoke.

Ron growled in a low voice. That only made things worse. Malfoy busted out in laughter. "He really is a weasel!"

"Ferret." Ron muttered loud enough for Malfoy to hear.

"I suggest you leave Weasel, unless you would like to become a live weasel." Malfoy took out his wand.

Jess stood up. "I'm sure we could go find Moody. He probably isn't busy." She grinned, remembering back when Moody turned him into a ferret.

"That crazy loon? He's probably dead. Thought someone was threatening him when they weren't and they ended up killing him because he attacked them." Malfoy's eye narrowed as he looked at Jess.

"Guys we should leave." Hermione suggested while standing up. Harry stood as well, but Ron didn't move. Hermione pulled him up. "Come on Ron!"

"Just when it was getting interesting." Ron muttered as they walked out of the room to leave the two bickering roommates alone.

"Look what you did!" Jess hissed as she looked to see her friends gone. "They left because of you!"

"Like they should have. Maybe I should give them a biscuit for following orders." Malfoy had his famous smirk on his face. Jess stalked off into their bedroom. In the morning Jess quickly got ready, avoiding Malfoy at all costs. She ran down to breakfast and joined her friends. The owls flooded in with mail. A letter was dropped in front of Jess. She opened the letter and read.

_Dear Jess,_

_This is the weirdest project that has ever existed in the history of Hogwarts! I can't believe you got stuck with Malfoy. I am with Ernie MacMillan, a guy from Hufflepuff. He's ok but he is slightly boring. Well I hope things get better for you. I wonder what the "babies" are going to look like. _

_Rachel_

_P.S. Meet me today after classes in the southwest Gorilla painting room._

Jess quickly finished her breakfast and went upstairs back to her room. She took out some parchment and a quill and wrote back.

_Dear Rachel,_

_I'm starting to dislike this project more and more each day. Malfoy is such a jerk! I had my friends from Gryffindor over to study last night and all Malfoy did was pick a fight with Ron! Want to trade partners? Professor McGonagall said the babies are supposed to look like us. I just hope mine doesn't look scary… I'll meet you there after classes._

_Jess_

She quick ran the letter up to the owlery. The day went by rather fast. As soon as Jess was done with her last class of the day, Arithmancy, she dropped off her books and met up with her friend Rachel, who is in Ravenclaw. When she got there Rachel was already there.

"'Ello!" Yelled Rachel as she approached. "How's it going?"

"Alright. I had a brief row with Malfoy last night. Besides that I'm alright. Considering the circumstances. How are you?"

"I'm fine. Ernie is boring, but other than that, everything is peachy keen. So, what was your row about?"

"Him being a twit. Honestly he treats me and my friends like crap." Jess ran a hand through her hair. "I can't believe I have over a month more to live with him."

"Yeah, I don't envy you." Said Rachel while staring at a painting of a gorilla. "He can be a total prick sometimes. Most of the time, come to think of it."

"I don't know how I'm going to go through it. Hopefully I will be able to distract myself when we get the baby."

"Yeah, that will definitely be interesting. I've never liked babies myself, but I know you like them a lot! I hope I can get Ernie to change the diapers…"

"I just hope the baby doesn't look scary. And hopefully Malfoy will help me… What am I saying, he enjoys watching me suffer." Jess looked around the hall, not remembering ever coming here.

"Maybe if the baby looks more like Malfoy then you can shove it off on him more! Wait a minute, why would you do that to a baby? Not even me, and I can't stand babies!"

"I wouldn't torture the poor thing in such a way. Maybe I'll just act as a single mother…"

"Yeah, you might just have to do that. Maybe you can sue Malfoy for being an abusive husband/parent! Or file a restraining order!" She laughed. "Isn't this a great room? I found it the other day. Look at that painting!" She pointed to a painting of two plaid gorillas robbing a muggle bank. "Who in the world painted that, I wonder?"

"Looks like something you would do actually… Well I suppose I should in theory go back to my room. I don't really want to see Malfoy though."

"Yeah I guess I wouldn't want to either. But its almost curfew time and I wouldn't want to get in trouble."

"Well I'll see you later. Send me an owl when you have time to hang out."

"Ok. I'll see ya later then!" Rachel turned and left for her room.

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Author's Note: Alright, so I know this might sound like a weird request, but here it goes. Its come to my attention that in the reviews some of you I can't click on your name and send you a private message. The reason why I wish to do this is to personally thank you for reading. Hopefully this doesn't sound odd, but if you are one of those people, do let me know if there is a way to get a hold of you and thank you. :) Anyway, chapter three is done! Please Review as always.


	4. Wednesday morning

I don't have anything really clever to say in regards to I don't own Harry Potter. By the way, I don't own Harry Potter. If I did I wouldn't be writing fanfiction.

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Jess slowly made her way back into her own room. She stalled as much as possible. After all tomorrow was Saturday and she'd have all the time in the world to spend with Malfoy. If she wanted to that is, which she certainly didn't. In fact when Saturday rolled around Jess was either in the library or with Hermione, Ron and Harry the entire day. Malfoy was either avoiding her, and her friends, avoiding Pansy, or with Crabbe and Goyle. They had Care for Magical Creatures on Monday. Nothing exciting happened. Tuesday they had no classes together. Which Jess of course was happy about. Wednesday on the other hand.

Jess woke up on Wednesday morning a little later. She quickly grabbed her clothes for the day and walked to the bathroom. The shower could be heard running on the other side. "Great" Jess groaned. Malfoy was in the shower. She was already running late and needed a shower as well. Jess began banging on the door. "Hurry up!" No response came, except for the turning off of the shower. Well at least that was a good sign. In five minutes the door would open and Jess could take her shower…

Fifteen minutes later Malfoy was still in the bathroom. What was he doing in there? Jess banged on the door again.

"Malfoy, hurry up! I have to get in there!" Jess sighed, knowing that she was going to be late. No response came from the other side of the door.

Malfoy was busy doing his hair. One piece in particular was being rather difficult. It kept sticking out. Malfoy had been trying to tame this one piece of hair. It finally was staying in place. Malfoy removed his hand. "There!" A second later it stuck back up out of place. He growled and pushed it back down into place.

Twenty minutes had gone by now since Jess first knocked on the door. "Did he die or something? It would make my life easier that's for sure." She looked at her watch and noticed her Transfiguration class was going to start in ten minutes. She knocked harder on the door. "Malfoy! Hurry up! Class starts in ten minutes and I need to get in there! NOW!"

Malfoy's rebellious piece of hair was staying in place now. He tightened the towel around his waist and slowly opened the bathroom door.

"About time! What were you doing in…" Jess was cut off at the sight of Malfoy. He stood before her in nothing else but a towel that was securely around his waist. Not to mention his platinum blonde hair was styled perfectly. Her cheeks instantly turned red as she gaped at Malfoy. His chest was bare and somewhat toned. _I had always thought he would be scrawny. I guess Quidditch toned him up, _she thought to herself quietly. She didn't dare say what she thought. That Malfoy… Actually looked… Hot.

Malfoy raised an eyebrow at her flushed cheeks. "You like what you see?" His infamous smirk played on his lips.

"Uh…" Jess quickly walked passed him and into the bathroom.

"Well you can't have any of it." Malfoy walked back into the bedroom. His smirk not leaving his face. He would have fun with this.

Jess shut the door and leaned against it. "I have a feeling this is going to be a long day." She was right. She happened to walk in fifteen minutes late in her Transfiguration. McGonagall luckily wasn't in a foul mood. At lunch she bumped into Malfoy. His eyes bore into her. She blushed, thinking back to the mornings events. Hopefully he wasn't mad. The last class of the day was none other than Potions. Jess took a seat in the far back, hoping Snape would forget about making them sit by their partners. Malfoy sat in his usual spot without a care in the world. Snape was sitting in his chair at his desk looking at something. When the bell rang he looked up at the class.

"Miss Anderson. Why would today be different from any other day?" Snape focused his gaze on her.

"What do you mean Professor?" She gulped at the look on his face.

"You have been sitting with your partner everyday. Why would today be different?"

"I don't know…"

"Move to the seat next to Mr. Malfoy."

"Yes professor." Jess grabbed her books and sat down next to Malfoy. She scooted her chair a bit farther away from him, giving her a little space.

Malfoy being one not to miss an opportunity leaned close to her and whispered. "I don't bite."

Jess tried her best to suppress a blush because of the close proximity of Malfoy. Satisfied, Malfoy grinned and sat back up. The class seemed to drag on forever. Once the bell rang, Jess rushed out of the room and into the library. She quickly did some homework. Jess rushed back into her room, bent on just going to bed. Hopefully, Malfoy wasn't there. She opened the door and set her books down. Sure enough Malfoy was in one of the chairs reading for Potions. He looked up from his reading and smirked. He wasn't going to let this die anytime soon.

"What?" He said innocently while looking at her.

"What?" She replied, not wanting to deal with him right now.

"I asked first."

"Leave me alone!" Jess stalked off into the bedroom and grabbed her pajama's. Just as she finished, Malfoy walked into the room.

"What are you doing?" One of his eyebrows was raised.

"What does it look like?" Jess put her dirty clothes where they belonged.

"Its too early to go to bed. Why don't you take a shower?" Malfoy had to suppress himself from laughing out loud.

Jess turned around not facing him. He was being a complete jerk. He knew that experience this morning had made her extremely uncomfortable, and he was just playing on that. "Just go bother someone else." She crawled into her bed. All she wanted to do was sleep and forget about the day.

"Suit yourself." Malfoy left the room with an accomplished look on his face. He had embarrassed her and made her feel completely stupid. Malfoy then went to dinner.

Jess slept through all of dinner. She didn't want to chance seeing Malfoy again.

Hermione looked all around the table. There was no sign of Jess. "This isn't like her."

"Malfoy probably did something to her." Ron muttered while looking over at the Slytherin table. Malfoy was perfectly happy, laughing at the suspense of some poor student a few years younger than himself.

"Maybe she's studying." Hermione suggested. "We do have an Arithmancy test at the end of the week."

"I still think its Malfoy's fault somehow. What do you think Harry?"

Harry looked up from his food. "Its probably nothing Ron." Ron mumbled and stuffed a piece of carrot in his mouth.

Thursday morning Jess woke up refreshed. Her stomach was making noises. "I slept through all of dinner." She rubbed her eyes and got dressed. The smell of breakfast was welcoming to her, having not eaten in at least twelve hours. Jess grabbed a cinnamon roll and began eating. Shortly then after Hermione, Ron and Harry came in. Hermione noticed Jess and rushed over.

"Hey, we didn't see you at dinner yesterday, is everything alright?" Her brown eyes were filled with worry.

"I'm fine. Just had a bit of an issue with Malfoy, yesterday. Nothing to worry about." Jess smiled as she grabbed her pumpkin juice.

"Oh, alright." Hermione sat down next to her. "Do you want to study together for our Arithmancy test we have tomorrow?"

"Sure that would be nice. How about right after dinner?"

"Sure, I need to go to the library and look something up anyway."

"Will you boys be joining us tonight?"

"Sure, if we wouldn't be a bother." Harry said while smiling.

"No, not at all." Jess replied, "how about you Ron?"

"Sure why not. Harry and I can do our Divination reports." Ron grinned while grabbing another piece of toast. The rest of breakfast was rather peaceful. It took Jess' mind off of the incident from the previous morning. She walked off to her first class in a happy mood. Charms, her first class, seemed to go by quickly. Her and Harry worked together while Hermione and Ron were partners. She had a pleasant time talking with Harry. Hardly did they ever talk alone.

"How is working with Parvati?" She asked while making an object float over to her.

"Its alright. She's still not mad about the Yule Ball." Harry shrugged not knowing what else to say.

"Harry, that was two years ago. Do you really think she would stay mad this long?"

"Well, a lot of people made a big deal out of the ball."

"I guess but most people wouldn't still be mad."

"True. You seem to be handling the project well. Most people would have been driven insane by now if they were paired with Malfoy."

"Oh I've been driven insane." She grinned. "I'm just trying to not let him get to me."

"And I'm sure he's trying to purposely annoy you."

"Oh but of course!"

"Don't listen to him, Jess. Most of the things he says are complete lies."

"I know. I have been with him in the same living place for over ten days now."

"You must have strong will power to have not completely lost it."

"I guess so. Don't worry about me Harry."

"I'll try not to but I can't promise anything. Ron's worried about you too."

"I know." Jess looked over at Ron and Hermione. "Hermione too."

"We care, just know that."

"Thanks, Harry. I do know that." She looked back over at Harry and smiled. He returned the smile and the bell rang. The rest of their classes went by just as fast. Harry and Ron went to Quidditch practice after classes and Hermione went to the library. Jess decided to walk around in the halls. She walked by Neville and smiled. Neville dropped the books he was carrying. He secretly liked her. Jess stopped and helped him pick them up.

"I'm not surprised. A squib and a mudblood on the floor. Did you know that I was coming and decided to bow down at my feet?" Malfoy remarked as he stopped by them. Crabbe and Goyle were right behind him, looking as stupid as ever. Jess stood and looked at Malfoy.

"What makes you think you deserve praise? If anyone does it would be Harry." Jess retorted back.

Malfoy's eyes narrowed slightly. "Do you forget who I am, Mudblood"

"No, you're too arrogant and whiny to forget. Although I wish I could."

"I don't think you want to."

"I don't think you know the first that about what a girl would want!" She said a little louder so the people in the corridor could hear. Malfoy's ears began to ever so slightly turn red.

"I know plenty. That is a pureblood I'm talking about. Not some muggle trash." Everyone in the corridor was now looking at the two of them.

"So that's what I am? Muggle trash?"

"You heard me mudblood." Malfoy walked passed her. Crabbe and Goyle followed. She looked as his retreating form in rage. Jess looked over at Neville who was still standing there. He quickly left down the hall. The people in the hall began to move again. Jess sighed and walked back to her room. She worked on her Transfiguration until dinner. Twenty minutes into dinner she shut the book and walked to the Great Hall. Hermione grinned when she came into view.

"Saved you a seat." Hermione scooted towards the left to give her more room.

"Thanks." Jess smiled faintly and sat down. Hermione noticed her expression but didn't pursue it.

"Where are we meeting after dinner?

"Any room but mine." Jess replied while piling some food on her plate.

"How about mine?" Ron spoke up. "Lavender is busy tonight and I'll have the place to myself."

"Sounds great Ron!" Hermione beamed, she was pleased with the arrangement. They ate dinner and then headed up to Ron's room. Just like Ron had stated, Lavender was gone. Hermione insisted on instantly getting to work. Jess had no real problem with it. Ron on the other hand grabbed out a Quidditch book.

"Ron! You should be working on your homework!" Hermione said while cracking open a book.

"Oh, its just Divination, Hermione. Nothing to worry about. Just need to figure out what terrible things will happen to me next month is all." Ron grinned while sitting down.

"How about being trampled by rhinos?" Jess laughed as she looked down at a page in her Arithmancy book.

"Oh, good one Jess! Mind if I use it?" Ron dipped his quill.

"No, go right ahead!"

"Don't encourage him Jess! You should probably actually look in the book, Ron. It might help out." Hermione looked up and was now looking at Ron.

"You know how much of a crack pot Trelawny is, she'll never know the difference." Ron replied while writing being trampled by rhino's on October 15th.

Hermione rolled her eyes and focused back on studying for Arithmancy. After a few hours of rigorous studying they all parted ways, and headed back to their rooms. Friday morning Jess got up early, cramming in a last bit of studying. She looked up at the clock and noticed class would be starting soon. She headed to Arithmancy where Hermione was nose deep into her book. Class soon came to order and the test was given out. The rest of the morning went rather fast. The class they has after Arithmancy was Herbology. At lunch Hermione went on about how she didn't need to study for certain things since they were not on the Arithmancy test. Ron just rolled his eyes and nodded. He knew this drill all to well, since it happened just about every time she took a test.

Jess looked around the hall and noticed Malfoy. He was talking to Pansy about something, when he looked up and noticed Jess looking at him. One of Malfoy's eyebrows raised in curiosity as to why she was looking at him. Since she hadn't spoken to him since Wednesday. Jess looked away and continued listening to Hermione.

"We should plan and do something this weekend." Ron suggested when there was a break in Hermione's monologue. "Monday we are getting the baby's to take care of."

"I forgot about that!" Hermione's face then had a look of deep thought. "I would suggest Hogsmeade, but it isn't a Hogsmeade weekend."

"We could go and visit Hagrid." Harry spoke up. "He's probably wondering why we haven't already."

"That's a great idea, Harry!" Hermione beamed while standing up. "How about tomorrow morning?"

The other three nodded. Lunch soon ended and they headed off to their afternoon classes. Jess came back to her room, glad that it was the weekend. Malfoy was no where to be seen. "Good, hopefully I don't have to see him all weekend." She was still a bit upset about Wednesday morning, and how Malfoy played the event the whole day. After finishing her homework she went down to dinner. Her and her friends talked for a long while, long after dinner was done in the Great Hall. Jess decided to go up to bed early. She was tired from staying up late, studying for her test.

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Author's Note: Chapter four is up! I know I've been updating every day but I'm not sure how much longer I will be doing that. As you all probably already know I have to have actual text written up before I type it and then put it on here. While I do have quite a bit written up I don't like to catch up with myself. I'll most likely update tomorrow as well and then after that probably once a week until I have more written up. Good news though, I did manage to write up some today! Well as always, please review!


	5. Nighttime troubles

Thanks for the reviews, as always! Its really encouraging to have people think that me work is entertaining and interesting. I'm glad that I've been able to entertain you all. Before we start chapter five, I must say that I don't own Harry Potter.

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Around nine the next morning, she woke up and got dressed. She looked over and noticed Malfoy was gone. _Good riddens, _she thought while exiting the room. She met up with Hermione in the hall.

"Hey, Ron and Harry are just finishing Quidditch practice. They'll join us at Hagrid's once they are done." Hermione smiled and walked down to Hagrid's. Hermione took the liberty of knocking on the door. Soon the sounds of barking ensued, signaling Fang. Moments later the door opened. Hagrid looked down at them, and a huge smile crossed over his face.

"Come on in. I just was fixin' up some tea." He opened the door wider and let the two girls in.

Malfoy was sitting in the astronomy tower. Today was his last day without another nuisance. He had thought he had until Monday, until the baby arrived. However the bulletin board told him differently. Tomorrow at ten in the morning, all six years were supposed to get with their partners and head to the infirmary. Then they would be getting their own child, made of their and their partners DNA. Malfoy grunted as he threw a rock out of the tower. "This is pointless. I'm sixteen, I don't need to know how to take care of a whining brat." Malfoy wasn't even sure if he wanted children when he was older. He supposed he would have one. Just to carry on the Malfoy name. Beyond that, he wasn't really thinking of it.

Harry and Ron joined Hagrid, Jess and Hermione an hour later. "So are yeh, all ready for tomara?" Hagrid asked while sitting back down.

"What's going on tomorrow?" Ron asked while picking up his tea.

"Yeh, mean yeh don't know?" Hagrid looked as all of them shook their heads. "Why yer getting' yer babies tomara."

"What?" Ron quickly grabbed his cup that was about to fall to the floor. Hot tea spilled on his hand, and he winced. "But I thought we were getting them on Monday?"

"No, Dumbledore thought it be a good idea to let yeh have them on Sunday. Figured so you wouldn't be up for such a shock on Monday when yeh have classes."

"Great…" Ron muttered while he put his cup on the table.

"That sounds like a good idea." Hermione responded with her tea cup raised in the air.

"Yeah, I guess." At lunch time they left and went to the Great Hall. Ron complained about the short notice of the arrival of the babies.

"Its only a day Ron." Hermione interjected. "Were you planning on doing something tomorrow?"

"No." Ron said while stuffing his face.

"Then I don't see the problem." They continued talking for a long while. The rest of the day went fast. Jess again, went to bed early, knowing that tomorrow and she would need plenty of sleep.

At eight on Sunday morning, Jess woke up. She noticed Malfoy was still asleep. Jess took a shower and headed down to breakfast. None of her friends were there yet so she ate in silence. A half hour later, Malfoy came down. He yawned as he sat down. Crabbe and Goyle weren't there yet. At nine thirty everyone was at breakfast. Most of the girls were talking about the babies they were about to get. Where the guys were talking about how they really didn't want to do the project. At nine fifty all of the six years headed out of the room and into the infirmary. The room was divided in half. On the left were Ravenclaw and Hufflepuff, on the right Gryffindor and Slytherin. Professor McGonagall was the one to hand out the babies for the Gryffindor's and Slytherin's, while Professor Sprout was for the Ravenclaw's and Hufflepuff's.

"Neville Longbottom and Pansy Parkinson." McGonagall called out. Everyone from Gryffindor and Slytherin watched them as they were the first ones called up. McGonagall handed Neville a small boy, who looked quite a bit like him. Pansy quickly took the baby from him. They left the infirmary. A few more names were called. "Hermione Granger and Seamus Finnegan." They walked up and McGonagall handed them a little girl that had Hermione's soft brown eyes. They walked out, and Hermione mouthed for Jess to meet her later. "Ron Weasley and Lavender Brown." Ron was handed a boy with his bright red hair. He grinned and handed Lavender the baby as they walked out. "Harry Potter and Parvati Patil." They both walked up and Parvati was handed a boy who looked just like Harry. They then walked out.

Malfoy looked annoyed, he muttered to Crabbe and Goyle. "Great another Potter."

McGonagall continued to call off names. "Jessica Anderson and Draco Malfoy." Jess walked up and Malfoy followed closely behind. McGonagall handed her a small girl that looked just like Malfoy. Jess' eyes were wide as she looked at the child.

"What?" Malfoy looked at her expression and looked down at their baby. All he did was blink. Jess walked out of the room, followed by Malfoy. Although the little girl looked like Malfoy, she was very cute. She had Malfoy's blue eyes and her hair was the same platinum blonde, only in curls. Jess walked back into their bedroom and noticed in the bedroom there was a crib for her. Malfoy looked dumbstruck, this child looked just like him.

"What should we name her?" Jess asked as she went back into the living room and sat down in a chair.

"I don't care." Was all he said as he sat down on the couch.

"How about Elizabeth?"

"No."

"Why?"

"Just no!" Malfoy was going to refuse any name she mentioned.

"What then?"

"Draco, Jr." He smirked.

"No! She's a girl!"

"So?"

"You're impossible! Think of a girl's name."

Malfoy thought for a moment. "Madison."

"I like it. Madison it is then." Jess smiled and held Madison close. Malfoy looked at her oddly. "What do you want to hold her?"

"No. She's part mudblood."

Jess rolled her eyes. "She's from both of us."

"That doesn't get rid of the mudblood."

"Grow up! Here." Jess got up and walked over to him.

"Get away from me, mudblood." He looked up at her.

"Fine. I'm going for a walk with, Madison." With that she left.

Malfoy shook his head. He would never understand her. After all she was a filthy, mudblood. What he didn't understand, was why she was treating that thing like a real child. In a month it would be gone. "A month." He groaned, " a month more with the mudblood and that thing."

Jess walked with, Madison down the hall. "You know, I never thought something of Malfoy could look cute. You prove me wrong." She smiled and moved the hair from Madison's eyes. Her eyes were just like Malfoy's, well if he ever had a soft look in his eyes. Jess walked over to Hermione's place. She knocked softly and Seamus opened the door.

"Hey Jess, come on in." Seamus looked down at Madison "Holy crap, she looks just like Malfoy!" Jess sighed and walked in. Hermione walked over with her own little girl in her arms.

"Hey Jess. Oh, she's adorable! Which is extremely surprising since she looks just like Malfoy." Hermione adjusted her baby in her arms. "This is Emma."

"Hi, Emma." She smiled, "I know she looks just like him. I think Malfoy is in complete shock."

Hermione laughed, "well sit down. By the way, what did you name her?"

Jess sat down in a chair. "Her name is Madison."

"Oh that's cute!"

"Yeah, surprisingly Malfoy came up with it."

"Odd."

"I know." Jess looked down at Madison in her arms, who was sleeping. "He doesn't even want to touch her because she has some of my blood in her."

"Oh that's terrible! Honestly, Malfoy should have been stuck with a troll or something."

"Well I get to be with him instead."

"I'm sorry, Jess."

"I know. Only a month more of this. I should go though, Madison is asleep."

"Alright, see you tomorrow."

"Bye." Jess left and went back to her room. Malfoy was there reading on the couch. Jess walked passed him and into the bedroom. She put Madison in her crib and worked on her Defense Against the Dark Arts essay. That night she went to bed not knowing it was going to be a rough night. At two in the morning, Madison started crying. Jess got up and picked her up. She wouldn't stop as Jess walked up and down the room with her. Malfoy grunted in his sleep. Jess sat down in the rocking chair that was put in their room earlier in the day. Madison stayed awake for an hour before closing her eyes. Jess carefully put her back in her crib and went back to bed. She couldn't sleep and an hour later, Madison started to cry again. Jess picked her up and fed her before she woke up Malfoy. A half hour later she closed her eyes. Jess put her back in the crib and went back to bed. The morning came too soon as Jess woke up. She walked over to Madison and got her diaper changed and her dressed. Malfoy looked wide awake as he went into the bathroom to take a shower. Once Jess was ready, she took Madison to the daycare the teachers had set up for when the students were in class. Jess' first class was Herbology. Hermione kept her awake by talking to her. Ron and Harry looked at Jess, wondering what happened last night. After Herbology they had a free period to spend with their babies back in their rooms before taking them down to lunch. Jess picked up Madison who was bright and cheery. She took her back to the room, to see Malfoy wasn't there. She sighed as she fed Madison out of one of the bottles that had been brought the day before. At lunch she sat down with her friends. Ron was taking care of his baby while Lavender was talking to some friends.

"What did you guys name him?" Jess asked as she held her own baby.

"Peter" Ron replied. "Lavender picked the name and I was fine with it."

"Its cute. What about you Harry?"

Harry looked down to see Parvati with their baby. "Eric."

"That's cute as well." Jess yawned.

"Are you alright, Jess?"

"Yeah. Madison woke up a few times in the middle of the night."

"Oh, Eric did that too but Parvati and I took turns taking care of him."

"Malfoy pretty much slept peacefully throughout the whole thing. I think we woke up once but then went right back to sleep."

"You shouldn't take that, Jess." Hermione said as she grabbed something out of Emma's reach.

"I know but he won't even hold her."

"Then you make him"

"Yeah." She yawned again and stood. "I better get Madison back to daycare." Jess stood and walked out of the Great Hall. Malfoy didn't notice her leave. He was too busy flirting with some Slytherin girl. When classes were done, Jess got Madison from daycare. She played with her for a while before opening her books to do homework. "Malfoy? Will you take care of Madison while I finish my essay for Defense Against the Dark Arts?"

"No." Was his short reply.

"Malfoy, you haven't even held her yet."

"I don't want to, mudblood."

She sighed and walked over to him, placing Madison in his arms. Malfoy held her as awkwardly as possible. She started crying. Malfoy got up and dropped her in Jess' arms.

"You don't drop her!" She yelled as she stood up and paced back and forth with her.

Malfoy smirked and left the room.

"Malfoy!" Jess sighed and put her back in her crib. "I'm sorry you have a terrible father." Jess finished her schoolwork and went down to dinner, carrying Madison. Hermione took Madison when she sat down.

"I'll take care of her while you eat."

"Thanks." Jess ate but didn't talk. After she was done, she took Madison back. "See you tomorrow." Jess then left the Great Hall and back upstairs. She yawned as she shut the door behind her. Then she walked into the bedroom and put Madison to bed. Jess then took a shower and collapsed into bed. Malfoy came in an hour later and took a shower. Madison woke up and fussed. Jess got up and heard her daughter's cried as well as the shower. She got up and fed her as Malfoy walked out of the shower in his pajama pants and no shirt. Jess turned around as her cheeks turned red. Malfoy then finished his Potions homework and went to bed. Jess tucked Madison back into her crib. An hour later she woke up again. Jess walked over to her crib and sang a song to her. Jess ended up waking up two more times in the middle of the night, as Malfoy slept with little disturbance. He had put earplugs in to die out the noise.

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Chapter five is up! There will not be an update over the weekend, seeing as though I will not have internet access. I hope this chapter suffices for now. Hopefully I'll write quite a bit this weekend, so then I'll type up some and I'll have more chapters ready to go. One can hope, I should though. Anyway, please review as always :)


	6. Cracking up

Hello everyone! I'm back and have the internet once again! As usual, you know the drill, I don't own Harry Potter.

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At breakfast Jess almost fell asleep in her food. Ron, Harry and Hermione all looked worried. She began to nod off with her head on her hand, when she jolted awake.

"Jess maybe you should go back upstairs and sleep. I can tell Hagrid, I know he won't mind you missing class." Hermione suggested. Even an hour nap would do her some good. Hermione wasn't one to skip class but she could tell Jess needed the rest.

"I'll be fine, Hermione." Jess reassured her as the bell rang for breakfast to be over. The class seemed like an eternity to Jess, even though she liked Hagrid's class. She was just too tired. After class Jess went and picked up Madison. She went back to her room. She played with her and fed her as well as changed her diaper. Malfoy walked in and noticed Jess in her extreme sleep deprived state. He ignored it, not wanting to hold the baby again. At lunch, Jess looked as though any minute she would fall asleep. She held Madison as she ate. Hermione was hoping Jess would have gotten some rest in the morning but it seemed like she hadn't. After lunch, Jess dropped Madison back off at daycare, she went to Defense Against the Dark Arts. Jess turned in her essay and sat in her chair. She was too tired to take notes. Hermione wrote down everything as usual. She would have to explain it to Jess later on. After her last class, Jess went and picked up Madison. Hermione copied her notes and handed one to Jess.

"Do you want me to explain anything?" She asked as she walked down the hall with Jess.

"No, I should be able to figure it out." Jess said as she yawned.

"Jess, I can take Madison for a while and let you rest."

"I'm fine, Hermione. Don't worry about me."

"Jess, I can't help but worry! Look at you! You haven't slept in over two days, you're taking care of a baby on your own as well as going to school and trying to keep up with homework! You need sleep!"

"I'll sleep when I can!" She snapped as she walked away from Hermione. Hermione ran to find Harry and Ron.

"Harry! Ron!" Hermione yelled as the two walked down the hall with their babies. They turned their heads and stopped.

"What's wrong Hermione?" Ron asked as she caught up to them.

"Its Jess. She won't let me help her with Madison! And Malfoy, isn't helping her either. She's going to burn herself out. We need to do something."

"But what? If she doesn't want our help." Ron replied.

"We need to make her rest." Harry responded. "Hermione's right, we need to do something."

Jess stayed up late, learning what they did in Defense Against the Dark Arts. Malfoy walked in around ten thirty. He smirked when he saw her trying to keep herself awake.

"Cracking under the pressure, Anderson?" He sneered as he grabbed his pajamas.

"Shut up, Malfoy!" Jess continued to read Hermione's notes.

"No one tells me to shut up." He responded, "especially a, mudblood."

"Well I just did, so deal with it!"

"My, my, what a temper." Malfoy went into the bathroom and changed. He came back in, in green pajama pants and no shirt. This was his normal bed attire. He got in his bed and put in some earplugs. Falling asleep within the half hour. Jess quit studying at midnight. She went into the bathroom and changed into her pajamas. She got into bed and went to sleep. At one thirty, Madison started to cry. Jess sat up in bed. She couldn't take it anymore. Madison wouldn't stop crying. Jess got up and out of bed. But she didn't walk over to her crib. Instead she walked over to Malfoy's bed. Jess shook him lightly.

"Malfoy." She shook him, but no response. Jess shook him a little bit harder. "Malfoy." Malfoy rolled over. She shook him a little harder. "Malfoy!"

Malfoy groaned and sat up. He took out his earplugs and heard Madison now screaming. "What, mudblood?"

"Malfoy, can you please take care of her? I really need some sleep."

"So, do I."

"Malfoy, I've hardly gotten any sleep in the past three days. Could you please take care of her?"

"You could have had her back to sleep by now, and not of had to wake me up." His eyes narrowed.

"Draco, please!" Jess burst into tears. She couldn't take it, she needed some sleep.

Malfoy looked shocked. She had never used his first name before. He looked at her. She looked pitiful, she was so exhausted and desperate for sleep. He felt sorry for her. She had almost all of the same classes he did, as well of having to take care of the baby, which he hadn't helped at all. "Alright" he said softly. "Just go to bed." Malfoy got out of bed and walked over to the crib.

Jess was relieved. She walked back to her bed and fell asleep almost instantly.

Malfoy picked up Madison. He held her less awkwardly this time. After a minute he was holding her in a comfortable position. Malfoy got her a bottle and fed her. He walked around the room with her until she fell back asleep. Malfoy then placed her back in her crib and went to sleep.

At four in the morning, Madison began to cry again. Malfoy muttered, "You take care of it" and rolled over. He then remembered earlier in the night, when Madison woke up. Jess was in disarray and looked like she was about to collapse. Malfoy grunted and got up. He walked over to the crib and picked her up. "What now?" He tried to feed her, but she didn't want it. Then it came to him. Malfoy thought of waking Jess up but decided not to. There was no way he was going to change a diaper. The Draco Malfoy change a diaper? Malfoy walked out of their place and into the hall. Madison was still crying loudly. He thought for a moment before walking. Malfoy walked down the hall, five rooms on the opposite side of the hall. He knocked on the door. Rustling was heard and the door opened.

"Do you know what time… Draco!" Pansy smiled, she noticed the crying child in his arms and his bare chest. Malfoy followed her gaze to his chest.

"She needs her diaper changed. Can you do it for me?" He was relieved when she stopped staring.

"Oh of course Draco! Come on in." Malfoy walked in and she shut the door. "I don't understand why you didn't get the mudblood to do it."

"She was near to collapsing."

"Oh…" Pansy took Madison and went to the changing table. Personally, Pansy wouldn't mind if Jess fell over dead. She was very angry that she was with her Draco. Pansy changed Madison's diaper and handed her back to Malfoy. "She's adorable Draco. She looks just like you!" Pansy wished that this was her baby instead of the one she had.

"Thanks." Malfoy looked at Madison and left. He walked back down the hall, not noticing Pansy looking after him longingly. He walked into their bedroom. Jess was sound asleep. Malfoy looked down at Madison in his arms. She was wide awake. Malfoy groaned and sat down in the rocking chair with her. He rocked the chair slowly. Soon enough Madison had fallen asleep, but not before Draco did.

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Sorry to you all that this is a shorter chapter, but I thought this was the best place to cut it off. Anyway, chapter six is up. Please review as always.


	7. Mishap at lunch

Nothings new folks, I still don't own Harry Potter

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In the morning, Jess woke up bright and cheery. She didn't know how a good night's sleep could affect a person's mood, until she didn't sleep for two nights. Jess got up and walked over to the crib. Madison wasn't in her crib. Jess panicked and looked around the room. Malfoy hadn't killed her, had he? Her eyes set on the rocking chair, widening at the sight she saw. Well, she had found Madison. She was currently sleeping, while laying on Malfoy's bare chest. Jess couldn't believe her eyes. Now she really wished she had Colin Creevey's camera handy. She then looked at Malfoy, who was clad in his green pajama pants, no shirt like usual. He was holding Madison securely enough so she wouldn't fall. His head was leaning to the left side of the chair. Malfoy's eyes were closed and he was sleeping peacefully, just like Madison. In the state, Malfoy had no sneer to his face or look of annoyance. In fact his features looked soft on his face as he snoozed quietly in the chair.

Jess wished she had some other eye witnesses to the occasion. Just her would have to do for now. She hated to have to wake him up and have a scowl appear back on his face. Dare she say it, but he looked cute in this innocent state. Jess walked up to Malfoy and gently said as not to jerk him awake. "Malfoy?" Nothing, Malfoy continued to sleep and so did Madison. Jess shook her head and laughed quietly. "Malfoy?" She said a bit louder. Still nothing. "Malfoy?" She said in her normal tone of voice. This caused Malfoy to stir and of course Madison. She fussed a bit as Malfoy moved. He opened his eyes and looked around. One of the first things he saw was Jess.

"What do you think you're doing, mudblood? Admiring the hottest guy in out school?" He smirked while standing up. Malfoy noticed he was holding something and looked down at Madison. "What?" He looked confused. Why was he holding her?

Jess had rolled her eyes at his previous comment. "I woke up and saw you holding her in the rocking chair." She grinned slightly as she looked at Madison in his arms.

Malfoy thought back to the previous night. Madison had started crying, Jess started crying. It was all coming back to him now. He took care of the baby while Jess slept. He had, had to go and ask Pansy to change Madison's diaper. Then he remembered coming back into the room and sitting in the rocking chair. After that his mind went blank. He must have fallen asleep in the chair with the baby. "Here" Malfoy mumbled as he handed Jess, Madison.

"Malfoy?" Jess said while looking down at Madison.

"What?" He snapped while walking over to his dresser.

"Nothing." She shook her head. Malfoy was back to his arrogant, self-centered self once more.

Malfoy grabbed some clothes and walked into the bathroom. He stood in the shower for a few minutes before actually doing anything. He shook his head and focused on actually taking a shower. He was tired from getting up and taking care of Madison a couple times in the night. He really just wanted to go back to bed. Now he knew how Jess felt.

Jess got herself and Madison ready. She walked down to breakfast and sat in-between Ron and Hermione. They all noticed that she looked awake today and smiled.

"How was your night last night?" Hermione asked.

"Good, I actually was able to sleep. Malfoy took care of Madison for me." She smiled and looked down at the spitting image of Malfoy in her lap.

"Is she alright? Did he poison her?" Ron asked while looking at Madison.

"She's fine Ron."

"You sure?"

"Yes I'm sure. How is Peter doing?"

"Quite well. He gets along with Eric and Emma, and Madison too."

"Can you imagine watching them grow up?" Hermione looked at Emma in her lap.

"That would be interesting. Though I'd be stick parenting with Malfoy for years." Jess didn't like the thought of that.

"Good point."

"Well, I better drop off Madison."

"Wait, I'll come with you."

"Okay see you later Harry, Ron." Jess and Hermione waved as they dropped off their babies at the daycare. Then they went to double Charms. For some reason the project had made them have less Charms classes. To make up for it they had double Charms today. Professor Flitwick looked quite cheerful as the students piled in. The lesson went well. After that they headed to the nursery to play with their children. Malfoy was back to his old self and wasn't there. They brought the babies to lunch with them. Malfoy looked over once at his 'family'. Madison was gurgling with glee as Jess talked to Harry about something. He snorted and continued his conversation with Zabini.

"Have you made a move yet?" He asked while looking at Malfoy.

"No, not yet." Malfoy snapped a breadstick in two. "She almost had a nervous breakdown last night."

"Oh. Do you think she's interested?"

"Of course she is! I'm Draco Malfoy. I can have any girl I want for as long as I want without any questions."

"You want to have a relationship with her?"

"No. I want what all of us want from her."

Zabini grinned. "There's the Draco I know!"

"Pity she's a mudblood. I might have been interested in her in other ways if she was a pureblood."

"This way you don't have to worry about relationship problems."

"True, a valid point." They finished lunch and headed to their next class. Jess dropped off Madison and then walked to History of Magic with Professor Binns. He was their only teacher who was a ghost. Jess sat down next to Ron as Harry sat down next to Hermione. Professor Binns dragged on and on about a particular fight that involved giants. He even made battles bland. Within fifteen minutes of class starting, heads were beginning to droop and minds began to wander. Only Hermione seemed to listen with rapt attention. Jess paid attention in and out. She sat straight up when Ron's head fell on the desk. Ron continued to sleep through the entire class. Professor Binns didn't seem to notice the sleeping stupor his class was in. The bell rang and everyone sprang back to life. They filed out to the last class of the day.

After classes. Jess went and got Madison. She was in a cheery mood as she looked up at Jess. They went back to their room so Jess could so some homework. Malfoy was nowhere to be seen. After a few moments someone knocked on the door. Jess got up and opened the door. "Hey Harry! Would you like to come in?

"No, thanks. I was wondering if you would like to bring Madison over and we could do homework together?" Harry asked while looking for any sight of Malfoy.

"Sounds great! We'll be right over!"

"I'll wait here for you."

"Alright." Jess walked back over and grabbed Madison, as well as some of her books. They all walked to Harry's room where Ron and Hermione were waiting.

"Hey, glad you could make it." Hermione beamed as she walked over and tickled Madison. Madison laughed and grabbed Hermione's hand.

"She's so cute, Jess. I can see who she acts like." Hermione smiled and took her hand back. They walked into Harry's room to see Parvati with Eric.

"He looks just like you, Harry." Jess commented while looking at Eric. "Its unbelievable."

Harry grinned as Parvati handed him to Harry. "I'm going to meet Padma." She said while walking towards the door.

"Alright, have fun." Harry responded right before the door shut behind Parvati.

"Lets get to work shall we?" Hermione returned to her normal bookworm self. The others nodded and joined her in the studying. When the time came they all went to dinner together. After dinner they crammed in another hour before calling it quits for the night.

Jess walked back to her room, juggling her books and Madison. When she opened the door she noticed Malfoy at the desk, working diligently on a parchment. Jess set down her books and got Madison her food. Once she was done feeding Madison she put her back in her crib and turned to Malfoy.

"We need to talk." Jess said while walking over to him. Malfoy ignored her and continued working on the parchment. "We." Jess put her hand on the parchment causing him to look up irritably. "Need to talk."

"Spit it out, mudblood." Malfoy looked directly into her eyes.

His cold, piercing gaze made her switch her weight on her feet nervously. "Look, we need to work out something when it comes to Madison waking up in the middle of the night. One of us can't only be responsible for it. We both need to."

"Your point, mudblood?" Malfoy looked back at his parchment and continued writing.

"My point being, that we should take turns."

"Take turns?"

"For example, the first time in the night she gets up, I take care of it. The second time she gets up, you take care of it."

Malfoy snorted at her rubbish idea. "That still has one problem."

"What would that be?"

"Me having to get up."

She rolled her eyes. "Its not going to work any other way. I refuse to be dead tired all the time and I know you would say the same about yourself. Now I'll let you chose do you want to take care of her first or do you want me to?"

Malfoy realizing she wasn't going to give it a rest until it was sorted out, looked up at her. "You can."

"And when she cries again its your turn."

"Whatever." He continued writing on the parchment.

"I'm glad we got that settled." Jess made sure Madison was freshly changed and fed before getting into her own bed. She slept peacefully for a few hours before Madison started to cry. Malfoy partially woke. Realizing that it was not his turn to deal with it, he rolled back over and went to sleep. Jess got up and walked over to the crib. She changed her diaper just incase and rocked her in the rocking chair. Within a half hour, Madison was back to sleep. Jess crawled back into her bed and went to sleep.

Another few hours went by before she cried again. This time Malfoy got up. He walked over to the crib and picked Madison up. He fed her before rocking her in the rocking chair. Within a half hour she was back to sleep. Malfoy went back into his bed and fell asleep. There were no more interruptions that night. Over the next few days it came to Malfoy's realization that Madison wasn't going to go away. He might as well get use to it. Also, he might as well admit, though only to himself, that he sort of enjoyed having her around. Unfortunately he didn't feel the same way about Jess. After all his blood was pumping in Madison's veins. Monday morning came of the beginning of the second week with Madison. Malfoy, regretting his actions with every step, walked over to the Gryffindor table, Monday morning at breakfast.

"I'll take her Anderson." He drawled while standing behind her.

Jess looked up from her conversation with Ron. "What?"

"I said, I'll take her, mudblood." He spat with impatience.

"Oh." She looked from him to Madison. "You mean Madison?"

"Yes, now hand her over!"

"Okay." She handed Malfoy, Madison. He walked off without uttering another word, over to the Slytherin table.

"What was, that about?" Ron watched Malfoy's retreating form.

"He probably realized that he wasn't going to get a good grade unless he did something." Hermione stated matter-of-factly.

"Probably, so are you two coming to our Quidditch match on Saturday?"

"Of course Ron! Who are you playing?" Jess said, glad to be off the topic of Malfoy.

"Slytherin. I hope we grind them into the dirt" Ron glanced over at the table.

"We shall be able to. With having you as a Keeper." Harry grinned, looking up from his breakfast.

"What are you talking about, Harry? If we didn't have you we'd be dead!"

"Ginny seemed to handle it well last year."

"Yeah well, out match against Hufflepuff was awful."

"You almost won the match though."

"It was still terrible."

Jess ignored their conversation and glanced over at Malfoy. Madison was sitting in his lap. He was holding her there with one arm while he used the other to eat. Pansy was goggling over Madison. Talking to her in a higher pitch voice, while commenting on how cute she was, because she looked just like Malfoy. No trace of Jess being her mom by just looking at her, which of course made Pansy pleased and adore Madison even more.

"Can I hold her Draco?" Pansy, asked almost begged, Malfoy. Malfoy picked up Madison and held her out to her. Pansy squealed with glee and carefully took her in her hands. "She is much more adorable than my baby."

"She's a Malfoy. What do you expect?" Malfoy smirked as he looked over at Pansy.

Madison started to fuss. "Shh, its alright." Pansy cooed softly. Madison continued to fuss and soon began to cry. Pansy frantically attempted to calm her down, but it didn't work

"Give her to me!" Malfoy snapped impatiently. Pansy handed her back to Malfoy. He stood and walked out of the hall, while all the Slytherins eyes him curiously.

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Chapter seven is up! The next one should be rather exciting, I think... Anyways, please review as always


	8. Wait, He did what!

Alright, now I hope this isn't too soon. You'll know when I'm talking about when you read it. But I didn't think so because my chapters tend to be very long, so in reality, if I made these chapters all 1,000 words instead of 2,000 you'd have twice as many chapters, so I really don't think its being rushed. That being said, I sadly and regretfully do not own Harry Potter.

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Jess' gaze also followed him out. She could hear her daughters cried become fainter and fainter as he walked away. Ron and Harry snickered. That must have been embarrassing for Malfoy. Ron reveled in the scene for as long as he could.

"Did you see his face? He was starting to turn red!" Ron laughed, which resulted in him knocking over his orange juice.

Hermione rolled her eyes. "Honestly, Ron, it wasn't that big of a deal."

He began to mop up his mess with a few napkins. "You have to admit it was funny."

"It was. But you over reacted."

"Did not!"

"Ronald, we are not having this argument!"

"Do you think she's okay?" Jess whispered to Harry.

Harry looked at the Great Hall doors for a second before answering. "I'm sure she is. If he hurt her, he won't get a good grade."

"That's comforting…"

"I'm sure everything will be fine."

"Thanks, Harry."

"No problem Jess." The bell rang for classes to start. Jess walked off with Harry, Ron and Hermione to Herbology. For the first half of it Jess couldn't help but wonder, about what happened with Malfoy and Madison. _I hope she's alright. He better not have done anything to her, _she thought to herself. After what seemed like days, it was time for them to go and get their child. Jess quickly walked down the hall and into the nursery. Madison was sleeping peacefully. Jess smiled when she saw her looking so peaceful. She picked her up and brought her back to their room. Malfoy was working on something or other. He looked up, when Jess walked in with Madison.

"What did you do to her?" Was the first thing she said.

"What?" He looked over at her again.

"This morning you left the Great Hall with her."

"Thanks for noticing." He looked back down at his parchment.

"What did you do to her?"

Malfoy looked up to see Jess standing right over him. His eye's narrowed as he spoke. "I didn't do anything to her, mudblood."

"How am I suppose to believe that?"

"If you would quit being so thick headed you might believe the truth."

"And you're a trustworthy person? You've got to be kidding me! I don't know who I would rather trust my life with, you or Voldemort!"

Malfoy's eyes widened and his nostrils flared. "You dare insult me?"

"Yes, I do. Because for the past five years you have done so to me. Also, Malfoy is just a name. It doesn't mean you are king of the world. Nor does it give you the right to be a pompous ass." Jess walked out of the room and into their bedroom, to put Madison in her crib for a nap.

Malfoy's cheeks burned red with fury as he watched her walk away. She re-entered the room, making no notice of him as she walked by and exited to go find Hermione.

Jess stalked down the hall in search of Hermione. When she turned the corner she found Hermione and Seamus together with their baby Emma.

"Hermione, can I speak with you?" Jess' eyes moved from Hermione to Seamus, then back to Hermione. "Alone?"

Hermione looked at Seamus and handed him Emma. "Yes, you can. I'll see you later Seamus." She watched Seamus vanish around the corner holding Emma. "Alright, now what's going on?"

Malfoy glared at the door with such malice, it was surprising he didn't burn a hole through it. He stalked over to the door and ripped it open, slamming it hard after him. Malfoy walked down the hall and stopped when he heard raised voices around the corner.

"I'll tell you what's going on! Malfoy!" Jess' face was slightly turning red as she yelled.

"What did he do now?" Hermione sighed, surprised that this hadn't happened earlier.

"I am so sick of that snobbish prick! The very sight of him makes me want to wretch all over the floor. I can't stand the thought of suffering another three weeks with that vile, egotistical, prat! He thinks he's so much better than me. He's so full of himself, when he cowers at the littlest of things. I'm surprised he gets up and goes to class every morning. In fear of someone giving him a reality check and putting him in his place. Do I even need to mention the incident with Buckbeak? He was milking that mere scratch for months. Acting as though he was so heroic, standing up to the creature whom he provoked to attack. Did you see how he ran out of Lockhart's room second year? He pushed his way first to the door when Lockhart let Cornish Pixies out. Cornish Pixies! Could he be anymore pathetic than that?! I wouldn't have been surprised to hear him running down the halls screaming for his mother."

Hermione gaped open mouthed at her. "I'm sorry, Jess. Maybe you should do and talk to Professor Dumbledore." She gave her a gentle hug, before backing up and giving her space. Hermione looked behind her and noticed someone's shadow from around the corner.

Draco stepped out and looked at them. A scowl with loathing laced in it, set on his face. His ears tinted red, no doubt because of anger.

"You!" Jess looked both surprised and angry.

"Me…" He didn't take his eyes off of her.

"I um… I'll see you later…" Hermione took a step before walking to her room.

Jess glanced at Hermione's retreating form before looking back at Malfoy.

"How long were you standing there?" She demanded rather than asking.

"Long enough to realize how much of a wench you are." His eyes narrowed slightly.

"Oh, so that's what you think of me is it? Well I think you are the most insufferable git I have ever had the misfortune to have met!"

"You think I give a damn about your opinion of me?" He took a step forward.

"Obviously you do. Otherwise you wouldn't be so upset."

Malfoy's eyebrow's furrowed closer together as he took another step towards her. "You insulted my family's name."

"It was insulted the day you were born!"

His hands balled into fists as he took a couple steps forward. "I will not tolerate such talk from anyone! Let alone one with dirty blood" he hissed.

"Look at you. You are so pathetic! Stooping so low to hit a girl."

"I wouldn't dare dream of wasting my precious time on such useless rubbish as yourself. You wouldn't be counted worthy of washing my knickers. You would only soil them more."

"If I'm such a waste of your 'precious' time, then why are you still here?"

"You need to be put in your rightful place. With the rest of the cest pool of dirty blood."

"If you say mudblood one more time, I will wound you!"

A radiantly blonde eyebrow raised slightly. "I'd like to see you try,… mudblood." Malfoy's infamous smirk placed on his lips.

Jess' right hand curled into a tight fist. She pulled back her fist and took aim. Her fist hurdled towards Malfoy's face. He quickly grabbed her wrist and squeezed tightly. "Ouch! Let go you freak!" She yelled as she tried to wrench her arm free.

Malfoy sneered with triumph. "I will when I want to."

Jess took a step back, hoping that he would let go. He matched her step and moved closer. She shot him a glare as she took another step back. Malfoy's smirk came back to his face as he stepped forward. Jess took one more step back, only to feel the hard brick wall behind her head. She raised her other hand to slap him, but he quickly grabbed her hand. He pinned her hands to the wall and leaned his face in closer to hers.

"I will have the last word." Malfoy whispered softly, barely loud enough for her to hear. Jess looked up at him with an annoyed expression on her face. He leaned in closer until their noses almost touched. Jess held her breath. Surely he wouldn't do that, she thought. Would he? Jess looked into his eyes to see if she could read them. They were cold and cloudy. She could see a little of the beauty hidden in them. _I have never looked at them this close. Once you can see a little passed the cold and hardened part, they're beautiful, _she pondered to herself silently.

A second later, Malfoy's lips crashed against hers harshly. Her eyes widened at what was happening. Malfoy pulled away quickly. On his face was his regular smirk. A moment later his cheek began to sting. His hand went right up to his cheek as he took a step back. He felt the sudden warmth on his cheek and scowled.

Jess placed her hand back down at her side and left quickly. Not giving him time to react. She quickly went to their room to check on Madison. She was awake and looked up at her. Jess scooped her up as well as her things for Charms and Defense Against the Dark Arts. Lunch was just around the corner. Jess walked down the other hallway to avoid Malfoy. She now had time to think over what had just happened. Malfoy had cornered her, and kissed her. She had been too shocked to react right as it was happening. Once she had regained some composure, she slapped him before retreating. Why had he done that? It made her angry to know that he would stoop that low to win the argument! Maybe Hermione was right. Maybe she should talk to Dumbledore…

"No," she said quietly to herself. "I can't. It would give Malfoy the satisfaction of him winning. I will just have to deal with it." Jess sighed softly and continued walking. At lunch she was rather quiet. Hermione noticed but let her be. Jess had been rather upset when she had left. Ron was busy piling food on his pate. Harry looked over to her.

"Jess? Are you alright?" He asked her.

"Yes, I'm fine, Harry." She smiled slightly. When lunch ended, Jess got up quickly and brought Madison back to the nursery. She then walked off to Charms. When she got there Jess walked toward the back, and took the only remaining seat in the back. Hermione glanced back at her. Professor Flitwick came to the front of the room and class started.

Jess worked quietly by herself. She was supposed to conjure up butterflies without saying anything. Many people were having difficulties. Hermione was the only one who had conjured up anything. Jess closed her eyes and thought the spell. She concentrated hard on the spell. After a few minutes a lone butterfly flew over and landed on her desk.

Professor Flitwick walked over and noticed the lone butterfly on the table. "Well done!" He smiled and walked off. By the end of the class only a few had conjured up anything. But no one conjured up as many or anything as complicated as what Hermione did. Jess left the classroom and walked to Defense Against the Dark Arts room. She again sat in the back, but this time she was joined by Harry, Ron, and Hermione. The class went on rather well. There wasn't a lot of time for talking. At the end they were assigned an essay on Dementors that was due at the beginning of next week.

Jess walked by towards her room. Hermione noticed and ran after her. "Jess, is there something wrong?" She placed her hand on Jess' arm.

"I'm fine, Hermione, really." Jess smiled and placed her hand over Hermione's.

"What happened between you and Malfoy?"

"Nothing. Just an argument."

"That's not very convincing you know?"

"Hermione just lay off! Everything is fine!"

Hermione attempted to search her eyes for the truth, but she had hidden it quite well, she sighed.

"Hermione?" Jess looked over at her.

"Yes?" She was hopeful to get the bottom of what had happened.

"Could you watch Madison for me for a little while?"

"Oh," her face fell slightly. "Sure, do you need anything else?"

"No, I'll just come and get her at dinner. Thanks, Hermione." Jess walked off down the hall and passed their rooms, down a few flights of stairs and hallways until she stood outside. She looked around at her surroundings before moving. No one else had wandered outside yet. This gave her a chance to find a place to be alone. Jess started walking, knowing exactly where her feet were taking her. Minutes later she arrived at the shore of the Black Lake. She sat down far enough away so she wouldn't get wet. The surface of the lake was as smooth as glass. It was pretty to look at, as well as a good place to think. With her legs crossed, Jess looked out unto the lake. Taking in her surroundings and breathing in the fresh air. Her thoughts came back to the incident earlier this morning. If she hadn't hated Malfoy before the incident she did now. It wasn't going to be easy ignoring him though. They shared the same living quarters. Jess sighed, she would just not talk to him unless it was necessary. Satisfied with this idea, she grabbed out her Defense Against the Dark Arts book and began working on her essay. She got a good start on it before putting it away and spending the rest of the time in silence.

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Tada! Was everyone surprised? Well he had to have the last word or kiss... Well chapter eight is up now. As always please review!


	9. Nighttime troubles II

Alright here is chapter nine. This was probably my favorite one to write. There will be an IMPORTANT AUTHOR'S NOTE AT THE END OF THIS CHAPTER! PLEASE READ IT! Furthermore, I do not own Harry Potter.

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Hermione came to dinner holding two babies. Ron looked up and helped her sit down by grabbing Madison from her. "Thanks" she replied while sitting down.

"No problem." Ron continued to hold Madison. "Where's Jess?"

"I don't know. She asked me to watch Madison and then left. She should be coming though."

"Oh, is something wrong?" Harry asked while grabbing for his cup.

"I don't know, Harry. She won't tell me anything. I can tell she's upset thought." Hermione sighed softly.

Malfoy looked over at the Gryffindor table. He noticed there was no sign of his partner, but his daughter was there with Harry and his little group. He rolled his eyes in frustration. They were going to contaminate the poor thing. His head turned to notice a person coming to dinner late. It was no surprise to him it was Jess. He watched her walk to the table and relieve Ron of holding their child. Malfoy then went back to his dinner and ate slowly. The longer he took, the less he would have to deal with her tonight. He was still angry with her and wanted to have nothing to do with her. The only satisfaction he had, was catching her off guard with that kiss. A smirk placed on his lips as we recounted the look on her face. It was priceless. He knew she wouldn't want to talk about it to anyone, so he was safe from anyone knowing.

"Hey Ron? Have you talked to Ginny lately?" Jess asked casually.

"Not really. I thought she would have talked to you more recently than me." He looked over at his younger sister sitting by Dean Thomas.

"No, she's been busy with Dean, and we've all been busy with this project."

"That makes sense, I guess."

"Speaking of the project, how are you three doing so far?" Hermione butted in.

"Lavender isn't bad. We get along well enough." Ron commented.

"Same with Parvati and I. We have out moments but that's normal." Harry said with a small smile.

"Well, we haven't killed each other yet." Jess said while stealing a quick glance over at the Slytherin table. "How about you and Seamus?"

"Oh, we're fine. Emma has been pretty easy to take care of. I've gotten all of my homework done." Hermione replied, while looking down at Emma.

They continued to eat in silence for a while. Jess didn't pay much attention to her food and instead played with Madison. After a little while, Harry and Ron started a conversation about their upcoming Quidditch match. Hermione pulled out her Charms book and began working on a paper. People began to slowly exit the room. Harry and Ron left when about half of the people were left. Hermione continued to work until most of the people were gone. The only person relatively close to her at the table was Jess. After finishing a sentence, Hermione put away her homework and stood while holding Emma.

"Are you coming Jess?" She asked, while looking at her.

"Yeah, just a minute." Jess finished the last bit of her dessert and stood up. She grabbed her bag in one hand, while holding Madison in the other. They both walked back to the hall where all of the sixth years were staying. Hermione opened her door while talking to Jess.

"I'll see you in the morning. Hang in there, alright?" A hint of worry was in her eyes.

"I'm trying Hermione." Jess gave her a small smile before walking back to her room. When she got to the door she stood there for a moment, arm stretched and reaching for the doorknob. "Alright Jess, you can do this. Just ignore him. Don't let him get to you." This was easier said than done. After a few calming breaths she grabbed the doorknob and opened it, walking into the living room.

Malfoy was lounging on the couch without a care in the world. Jess walked by and they made no notice of each others presence. She proceeded into their bedroom, and changed Madison's diaper. She had fed her at dinner so she was good for the time being. Laying her in her crib, Jess opened her backpack. She grabbed out her Herbology homework and finished it. Jess locked the door and changed into her pajamas. All she really wanted to do was sleep. The days events had tired her and angered her to a high degree. If only there was a way to get rid of Malfoy. But unfortunately, there wasn't…

If Monday wasn't tough enough, the next few days proved to be extremely difficult for both Jess and Draco. No words were shared between them, unless absolutely necessary, which was difficult while having to take care of a child as well as keep up with school. The teachers seemed to be against the students lately and gave them large amounts of homework. Even enough to have Hermione in disarray.

"I can't believe this!" She squeaked while gathering her parchments together. "Every class today gave us a foot long essay!"

"At least some of them are due on Monday." Jess retorted, also being frustrated.

"We have two essays due tomorrow as well as we are supposed to be practicing non-verbal Charms!" Hermione replied.

"Well at least tomorrow is Friday. We'll have time to catch up."

"But we have Quidditch on Saturday!" Ron moaned rather loudly.

"You still have Sunday, Ron." Hermione reminded him.

"I think Snape's out to get us!"

"Ron, Professor Snape isn't out to get us."

"How do you know?"

"I just do, Ronald!"

"Guys is this really necessary…" Harry was cut off by both Hermione and Ron glaring at him.

"You keep out of this!" They snapped. Harry realizing it would be a good idea, kept quiet. Jess patted his shoulder.

"I wouldn't try and get in-between those two." She whispered so only Harry could hear. They continued working on their essays as Ron and Hermione bickered. After ten minutes of this Hermione and Ron settled once more and began their essays. It was getting close to dinner, but they made no signs of taking a break.

"Lets go down to dinner," Ron suggested.

"We can in a few minutes." Hermione retorted, not looking up from her parchment.

"But dinner is about to start."

"You can wait a few minutes, Ron."

He groaned, "fine. How long is a few minutes?"

"What does it sound like? A few minutes!"

"You always lose track of time when studying though."

"I do not!"

"Do too, Hermione!"

"Do not, Ron!" Jess and Harry looked at each other, then at Ron and Hermione. They continued to work for another fifteen minutes in silence, before Ron complained again.

"We're missing dinner!" Ron moaned as he finished a sentence on his essay.

"Do you have to be there for the entire dinner?" Hermione questioned, still working on her essay.

"No, but we'll miss the entire thing if left up to you!"

"We will not, Ron!"

"Will too!"

"Just a few more minutes!"

"No! I'm hungry!"

"So am I!"

"Well, let go then!"

"No! Just a few more minutes!"

"Will you two shut up?! I'm sick and tired of you two constantly at each others throats, over the stupidest things! Grow up!" Jess shouted while slamming her fist down on her parchment, spilling ink all over the table. Harry sighed, knowing sooner or later either him or Jess was going to snap. Ron and Hermione looked at her shocked. Hermione uttered a spell and cleaned up the spilled ink.

"Jess?" She said meekly, hoping not to have her yell again.

"Hermione, finish the sentence you're writing. Then we're going to dinner, alright?" Everyone nodded and finished up the sentence they were in the middle of writing. Jess got up and headed down to dinner and sat besides Ginny.

"Hey," Ginny smiled, as Jess sat down, seeing the expression on her face her smile vanished. "What's up?"

"Ron and Hermione won't stop arguing over the stupidest of things. Not to mention I have had to deal with Malfoy." Jess ran a hand though her hair and sighed. Ginny plucked Madison out of her hands and bounced her on her knee.

"You know how they can be. Always at each others throats. Ron's always been one to complain, always has been." Ginny stated matter-of-factly.

"I suppose… They both are rather stubborn."

"So, how has Madison been?" Ginny asked while looking at Madison.

"She's been a handful, but I've bee enjoying it. She's a pretty good baby." Jess smiled at Madison gurgling happily.

"And to think she has essence of Malfoy, and yet is still cute."

"That is quite odd. Don't get me wrong, Malfoy's not ugly, but his attitude is piss-poor."

"Yeah…" Jess thought back to the encounter Malfoy and her had earlier in the week. She had, had a quick glimpse of his eyes. They hadn't been as cold and stony as they usually were. She was able to see the beauty beneath them, only for a few seconds. Finishing what was on her plate, Jess rose from the table, while still wondering about it. "I think I'm going to turn in early tonight."

"Alright, here you go," Ginny softly placed Madison in her arms.

"See ya," Jess began walking away.

"Hey Jess?"

She turned and faced Ginny. "Yeah?"

"Want to sit together at the Quidditch match on Saturday?"

A small smile appeared on Jess' face. "You know the answer to that."

Ginny also smiled. "Where we usually meet?"

"You know it! I'll see you before then, most likely." Jess waved and left back up to her room. She placed Madison in her crib. Then she grabbed out her essay for Transfiguration, having mostly finished her one for Potions earlier in the day. _Ron might be right about Snape, _she thought to herself while chuckling. After all he had assigned an essay today and expected it on his desk by noon tomorrow. Even though they didn't have his class tomorrow. An hour went by and Jess finished her Essay for McGonagall. She heard the front door open, signaling Malfoy was back. Ignoring his arrival, Jess grabbed her pajamas and headed for the shower.

Draco didn't look up as he heard her walk into the room. Grunting he lugged out his Potions essay. Snape was being unusually cruel. "Who does he think he is?" He said quietly to himself. Then he heard the shower turn on. "Damn, mudblood." He said a bit louder, knowing she wouldn't be able to hear him. Running a hand through his hair, Draco began working on the essay once more. All he had was to write a conclusion and he would be done. He would be able to slack off and not do as decent a job, and still get high marks. One of the advantages of being Snape's favorite student. It didn't hurt that Snape knew his father. Finishing his essay, Draco stood and went into the bedroom. He saw Madison in her crib and decided to pick her up. Madison cooed quietly, making a smile creep up on Draco's face. She was much better than the mudblood. For one thing, she didn't argue with him. Another thing, she wasn't Jess. Which instantly ranked her higher on his scale of likability. Draco then set Madison down on his bed and proceeded to make goofy faces at her.

Are you wondering if you read that correctly? The Draco Malfoy? Making funny faces to appease a baby? Well no one is looking. Not that he knows of anyway…

Draco didn't notice the shower turn off. He was actually enjoying himself. Madison was giggling away.

Meanwhile Jess dried off and changed into her pajamas. She then walked into the bedroom to see one of the most unimaginable scenes. Malfoy, making funny faces at Madison. She stood there for a moment in utter shock, not knowing whether to leave quietly or to bust out, laughing. Jess chose to stand there and watch.

Draco continued to make funny faces at Madison. He laughed along with her, with no trace of malice in his laugh. Jess couldn't help but smile. At least he was being civil to her. She shifted her weight and made the floorboard creek below her.

Draco turned and saw her standing there. Instantly a glare came over his features. "What are you staring at, mudblood?" He picked up Madison and put her back in her crib.

"Nothing" the smile disappeared from her face. She walked over to her bed and went to sleep. Malfoy glared at her for a few moments before getting into his own.

At around two in the morning a loud boisterous noise came from the living room. Madison began to wail loudly. Jess sat bolt upright, her eyes widening. Draco stirred in his bed, his eyes shooting wide open.

All of a sudden an uproarious sound came once again from the living room. The thing in the living room made booming steps towards the bedroom. Jess jumped out of bed and over to Draco's.

"Draco?" She said with a hint of panic in her voice. He just laid there not saying a thing. "Draco!" Jess nudged his shoulder.

"What?" He asked while stifling a yawn.

Jess turned on the light. Draco quickly shielded his eyes. "What was that for?" He drawled lazily.

Another clamorous noise came from the living room. Jess eeped softly, as she slipped into Draco's bed. Draco looked at her as though she was insane.

"Please check it out" she whispered.

"Why? If you want to know what it is, you check it out." He narrowed his eyes. Another noise came from the living room, making its presence known.

"Please, Draco." She replied with fear lacing her tone. "I'm scared."

"If you leave me alone, I will." Draco stood up on the other side of the bed. He could hear the creature getting louder. Draco grabbed his wand as the door to the living room began to open slowly. Jess hugged her knees to her chest, under Draco's blankets.

Draco looked back at her for a moment. He saw the look on her face, one of utmost fear. Draco felt sorry for her, he felt something twinge when he saw her face.

The door continued to slowly open. Draco snapped his attention to the door. His wand raised and ready to blast whatever came at him. The door finally creaked open, and in walked in,… Lucius Malfoy.

Draco blinked a few times before registering what was happening. His father, the man he secretly detested was now standing in front of him. Lucius had his characteristic sneer plastered on his face. His eyes glinted with an all too familiar malice.

Draco faltered and took a step back. Fear consumed him as he stared down his accursed father.

Lucius whipped out his snake headed cane. Taking a step forward he deliberately pulled out his wand slowly.

Draco winced at the events he knew would follow. Jess looked on in utter and complete shock. Not sparing, any unneeded time to blink. Jess' gaze was fully concentrated on the two Malfoy's.

Lucius started to approach Draco at an even pace. Draco in turn retreated, matching every step Lucius took forward with taking one backward. Draco held up his wand shakily, his gaze never wavering from Lucius. Lucius had a malevolent smirk on his face as he raised his wand.

Draco then realized Madison's wails in the background. He stopped stepping back. Rooting his feet to where he stood. A certain feeling of protectiveness swam over him. It was in that moment that he realized none of them would survive if he didn't do something.

Lucius stopped his assault and stared down Draco. Draco felt all the color drain from his face. He had to do something. But what? Draco racked his brain for an idea, but nothing came to him. He was afraid, very afraid. Draco knew fully well, what his father was capable of. He also knew his father would let nothing get in the way of what he wanted, even if it meant killing his only son. The one thought that kept occurring to Draco was, how did he know about this project? Clearly the aspect of himself living with a mudblood for six weeks had sent Lucius over the edge. But who told him? He hadn't mentioned it to either his mother or father, knowing exactly how they would react. Had he found out from either Crabbe of Goyle's parents? That had to be it. There was no other explanation. Another question plagued Draco's mind. Why had he come in the dead of night? Usually he gave Draco a warning as to when he was coming. Draco rubbed one of his temples with his free hand. Lucius continued to stare him down, not moving once from his position, this unnerved Draco all the more. He was going to kill them. He knew it. First Lucius, would push him out of the way and kill Jess, torturing her for a good bit before delivering the final blow. Then he would walk over to Madison's crib. He would be disgusted that he shared blood with the 'vile creature'. Lucius would make short work of her. He would then turn to Draco, and a duel would ensure, ending with the light leaving Draco's eyes as well as the warmth in his body. Draco felt completely numb. He felt hopeless, lost and confused. Why did things have to end this way? He had dreamed for so long to be rid of his father, to have the freedom to be his true self. But he would never get that chance. The last thing he would see is, Lucius laughing at his 'pitiful' son.

Jess continued to look on. She was extremely curious as to why Lucius was stalling. He probably loved reveling in the quiet moments before he killed his victims. The creepy bastard! Jess looked at the look of helplessness on Draco's face. She had never seen him so scared, so frightened. He looked like a little lost child. She felt an immense feeling of pity. He had put up with this freak for a father his entire life. And now he was going to die. She glared at Lucius, who was staring menacingly at Draco, when it finally hit her…

"Draco!" Jess shouted as loud as she could. "Draco, its not your father!"

"Quiet, Jess…" Draco managed to spill out.

"No, Draco! Listen to me! It's a boggart!"

"What?!"

"Draco, it's a boggart! It transforms into the thing you fear most."

It clicked in Draco's mind. The thing he feared most _was_ his father. Draco held up his wand more steadily, and with more confidence. With a clear and bold voice he shouted. "RIDDIKULUS!!" He then quickly ran to the door as the boggart twisted and contorted into many shapes, not being able to decide on just one. It zoomed out of the bedroom door and got to the main door just as Draco flung it open. The boggart then rushed past him. Draco slammed the door shut behind it. He walked shakily into the bedroom and collapsed unto his bed, on the opposite side of where Jess was still. Madison quickly calmed down and fell back asleep. Draco and Jess looked at each other. Draco's eyes were more vulnerable than she had ever seen him.

"Thanks" he croaked out before falling into a deep slumber. Jess looked at him and smiled, uttering a quiet "you're welcome," before falling asleep herself. She ever made it back to her bed…

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AUTHOR'S NOTE: Everyone this is important! Although Chapter nine is up, I will be putting up ONE more chapter after this until I get more reviews. The reason for this is, I do this out of my free will and hope that I bring you joy in reading. But I do have a life outside of fanfiction, however small it is. I know there are some of you out there, that have added this to your favorites or story alerts but have not reviewed! What I say is if ALL of you could PLEASE write me a review? It would mean a lot to me and it would inspire me to write more! Thank you and as always PLEASE REVIEW!


	10. A friendly round of Quidditch

Alright, everyone, now as I said, this is the LAST chapter, until I get some reviews. I'm hoping I can get one from everyone who reads this! So please, sit back, put on your smoking jackets, and enjoy! (that is from Dominic Monaghan, if you wish to know more, just ask...) Also, before I forget, I do not own Harry Potter.

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In the morning, Jess woke up slowly. She yawned loudly and rubbed her eyes. Pulling the blanket closer to her, she noticed it was green. Green? But that was Slytherin's color… After registering her thoughts for a few moments, Jess leapt out of the bed and landed loudly on the floor. "Ouch…" She muttered softly.

Draco woke when he heard a thud on the floor. Sitting up he craned his neck over to the right side of the bed. He let out a snort of laughter at the sight of Jess sprawled out on the floor.

She rose and dusted herself off. "What's so funny?"

"You and how pitiful you looked on the floor" he answered.

"Don't you talk about being pitiful. Do I need to remind you of yesterday?" Jess responded back testily.

Rage flashed over Draco's eyes. "You mention that to anyone and I'll…"

"You'll what? If you react badly, people will know I'm telling the truth."

Draco growled in annoyance. Jess smirked while walking over to the crib. "Besides, you should be thanking me. If I hadn't realized it was a Boggart, what would you have done?"

"Killed it" he replied shortly.

She gave him a look of disbelief. "Is he _that_ bad?"

Draco stood quickly and crossed the room to retrieve his clothes. He proceeded to walk to the door, and stopped at it, not looking back at her. "You know nothing when it comes to my father."

Jess watched him then walk out. She quickly changed Madison's diaper before feeding her. No matter what she did, Jess couldn't get the look Malfoy had, had on his face last night, out of her head. He had looked scared out of his wits. Nothing scared Malfoy _that_ much. Only something of pure evil could do that. The comment he had made while leaving the room this morning didn't confirm different. Jess did know that Lucius was a Death Eater, and probably one of Voldemort's closest supporters. After all, Harry had told her that on the night Voldemort came back, that he clearly saw Lucius there. And only someone cruel would have slipped Ginny, Tom Riddle's diary back in second year. Jess had also had first hand experience of Lucius last year, in the Department of Mysteries. She knew he wasn't a force to reckon with. Shaking her head as to clear her head, Jess continued getting ready.

Her first class was History of Magic, with Professor Binns. Ron managed to fall asleep in ten minutes of when class had started. This wasn't a big surprise. Ron always fell asleep during this class. He never had reason to stay awake because of Hermione. Professor Binns drawled on dully for the entire class, his words having a drowsy effect on most of the class. When the bell rang, a sudden burst of liveliness spread through the students. Jess, Ron, Harry and Hermione headed quickly to the dungeons to drop off their potions essay, before the noon deadline. After successfully completing that, they went their separate ways, Harry and Ron off to double Divination, Hermione and Jess off to double Arithmancy.

When Arithmancy ended, Jess and Hermione went to the nursery to grab their respected child. Malfoy got to Madison's crib at the same time Jess did. They both looked at each other. Madison giggled and looked up at them, looking at each other. Their stares were absent of the usual hatred they held. They weren't loving looks, more ones of indifference, which was quite an accomplishment.

"You can take her." Jess said blankly.

"Alright." Draco scooped Madison up in his arms and walked out. Jess walked back over to Hermione, who was holding Emma. They then walked to the Great Hall for lunch. They sat beside Harry and Ron, who were immersed in a conversation about tomorrow's Quidditch match. Ginny walked in and sat next to Jess.

"Hey, where's Madison?" She asked while pouring herself some pumpkin juice.

"Malfoy has her" Jess replied.

"Oh, so he's participating?"

"Yeah, enough so I don't yell at him."

"That's good, I guess." Ginny smiled at her.

"Yeah." Jess offered her a small smile. "Are you excited for tomorrow's game?"

"Of course I am! I hope we smoke them."

"Me too."

"I think we have a good chance."

"I think so too. Ron's really coming along."

"It's about time!"

"Ginny!"

"What?"

"That isn't nice to say."

"But its true!"

"That's besides the point." They both busted out laughing. Ron and Harry looked over. "Its nothing" Jess said.

After lunch Jess had a free period, which she spent with Madison up in their room. She then dropped her off and headed to Transfiguration. After changing or trying to change, teapots into mice for most of the period, class ended. They were assigned another essay by McGonagall.

"Doesn't she want us to spend time with our kid" commented Ron.

"This isn't a hard essay." Hermione piped in.

"But I have Quidditch tomorrow!"

"Then get it done tonight."

"Hermione, could you do it for me?"

"No, Ron, you do it yourself."

"But Hermione!"

"But nothing!" They continued to bicker the entire way to the nursery. Jess grabbed Madison from her crib while they continued arguing.

"How about we all work on it together?" Harry suggested while picking up Eric.

"A wonderful idea, Harry!" Hermione exclaimed. "See Ron, you could have suggested that." Ron didn't say anything. They walked up to Hermione's room and worked on the essay. It only took about an hour.

"I'll see you at dinner." Jess grabbed Madison, and her schoolbag. She then walked to the Gryffindor common room and looked for Ginny.

"Hey!" Ginny waved her over. They proceeded to chat until going down to dinner. Ron and Harry were again in a deep conversation. Hermione interjected occasionally. She finally gave up and joined Jess and Ginny. After dinner they headed back to Ron's room for a while, before calling it a night. Jess walked back into her room to see Draco working on some homework. She sat down in a chair as Madison began to fuss.

"Not now." She whined quietly. Draco looked up from his homework.

"Here." He stood and took Madison, pacing around the room for a while, trying to calm her down. Draco then brought Madison to her crib. He then went back to his homework.

"Uh, thanks…"

"I needed silence for working on this." He replied, not paying her any attention.

"Whatever." Jess got up and got her pajamas before heading into the bathroom. She turned on the tap before taking off her clothes, sticking in a foot to see if the temperature was to her liking before stepping in.

Draco continued to work on his homework. When he was finished he walked into their bedroom and changed into his pajamas, turning in early.

In the morning, Draco woke up early. He quick grabbed a shower before heading to the pitch. He met Crabbe, Goyle and Bletchley there. While getting ready they ripped on Draco's partner for the project. Feeling satisfied with himself, Draco got ready to walk out unto the pitch.

Jess met up with Ginny twenty minutes before the match. They then proceeded to their normal spots in the stands, next to Hermione. Jess securely held Madison on her lap. Hagrid soon came and sat behind them. Finally the time came for the players to walk out unto the field, followed by cheers and boos, depending on which end of the stands you were at. Madam Hooch opened the box containing all four of the balls used in the game. She told all of the players to mount their brooms. Harry and Draco stared each other down as the Snitch was released.

"And they're off!" Came a dreamy voice from the microphone. "Katie has the Quaffle, she passes Pucey." Luna's voice continued narrating the scene.

"Come on, Katie!" Ginny yelled, while waving a red and gold handkerchief.

"And Katie scores ten points for Gryffindor. " Luna added as the Quaffle passed the Slytherin keeper. Cheers came from the Gryffindor section of the stands as boos came from the Slytherin end.

Jess spotted Harry looking around for the Snitch. She then noticed Draco at the other end of the pitch doing the exact same thing. "That's your dad Madi." She pointed Draco out on the far end of the pitch. Madison clapped her hands together sloppily and giggled. Jess smiled at Madison's amusement of all the players zooming around on brooms.

Just then, Crabbe purposely smacked a Bludger as hard as he could at Katie. It speeded towards her quickly, when finally it made contact with the back of Katie's head, as she was about to score. A large gasp was heard from the crowd as Katie fell off of her broom, a good twenty feet in the air and fell to the ground. Crabbe and Goyle snickered and high-fived each other. Madam Hooch didn't notice anything until Katie was lying on the ground unconscious. She was carted off immediately, but the game didn't stop.

Ginny stood up in her seat and yelled. "Cheater! Take him out! That good for nothing cheater!" Bu the game continued. Harry was now more determined to catch the Snitch after seeing his teammate carted away.

Draco continued to search the pitch. He noticed the Snitch at about mid-field. Draco tried not to make himself look suspicious, but failed as Harry saw the glimmer of gold a few seconds after him. They both raced to the Snitch to only both end up empty handed.

Meanwhile, down below where the rest of the game was taking place, Slytherin had the upper hand. Having all of their players conscious and playing the game. Slytherin was now catching up. The score was now Gryffindor sixty, Slytherin forty. If Draco found the Snitch and caught it he would finally beat Harry Potter! He just had to find it! He had been playing Quidditch way before Harry had even known about it.

Harry was closely inspecting the field. He had to end this soon and see how Katie was doing. Then he saw it, the Snitch was above ten feet above him, hovering closer to Malfoy. He lurched his broom forward. Draco saw him move and followed quickly after him. The Snitch descended rapidly towards the ground, Harry and Draco neck and neck behind it. The ground was rushing up at them. Both of them had their hands extended, trying to reach it. It was a blur to everyone else, until Harry hovered with the Snitch tightly grasped in his hand. Cheers emitted from three-fourth of the stands. Jess and Ginny stood. Ginny was waving her handkerchief.

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Chapter ten is up! This will be the LAST chapter, unless people REVIEW! If you wish to see more of this story please REVIEW!


	11. Reflections

First off I would like to thank everyone for their reviews! It means a lot to me when you all comment on my story and it also inspires me to continue writing. Thank you all again! I couldn't say thank you enough times. :D So, I present to you another chapter! Also, I still don't own Harry Potter.

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Draco looked furious. He had been vanquished by Potter yet again. He stomped off the field and into the locker room. Slamming his broom down, Draco punched the bench with his fist. He emitted a yowl of pain, first making sure no one else from the team was around. Draco then sat on the bench and proceeded to pull off his dragon scale gloves.

A large group of Gryffindor's had trampled unto the field, cheering loudly. Hermione, Jess and Ginny took turns giving Harry and Ron hugs. Madison giggled with the festiveness. Harry tickled her lightly, while she began to giggle more. He then looked up from Madison to Jess.

"Did you see what happened to Katie? All I saw was her falling." He asked her quietly.

"Crabbe hit a Bludger at her really hard. It hit her in the back of the head."

"Oh, thanks Jess. I need to speak with Ginny." He wandered off and soon found Ginny.

"Stupid Crabbe." Jess muttered as she saw him walk over to Goyle. She then proceeded to follow them at a distance to their locker room. Once they were in the locker room for a few minutes, Jess approached. She knocked lightly on the tent flap. "Malfoy?"

Draco looked up from looking at the floor. He looked over to the tent flap. "What, Anderson?"

"Can I come in?"

"No."

"Why not?"

"Because I said so."

"That's not a good reason."

"It should be good enough for you."

"Look, I just came here so Madison could see you in your Quidditch outfit."

"Fine, come in."

Jess walked in holding Madison. She was dressed in red and gold. Madison cooed when she saw Draco.

Draco's eyes narrowed. "She's wearing Gryffindor colors."

"Like I would dress her in Slytherin colors for the match?"

"She's my child."

"Oh so you acknowledge her now?"

"Shut up, Anderson. Hand her over."

"Suit yourself." She shrugged and handed Madison to him. "See you later." Jess then walked to the tent entrance. She walked out and soon joined Ginny.

"Hey!" Ginny rushed up to Jess. "Where's Madison?"

"Dropped her off with Malfoy."

"I think he might actually like her."

"Well, she is a Malfoy."

"That's true. Hey, you'll never guess who the new Chaser is."

Jess looked over at her and noticed a large grin on her face. "You?"

"Mhm!"

"Congratulations, Ginny!" Jess gave her a big hug.

"Thanks! Harry asked me after the game. I told him I'd love to!"

"You'll do great Gin."

"Thanks Jess." They continued to walk back to the Gryffindor common room, where a celebration was being held. Harry was raised and seated on two taller guy's shoulders. There was lots of cheering and singing. Harry leapt down and stood on one of the tables.

"I would like to acknowledge out new Chaser, Ginny Weasley!" He shouted over the group of students. A round of thunderous applause occurred. Ginny beamed, as her cheeks were tinted red. After an hour the celebration quieted down and everyone headed off to lunch. Jess and Ginny chatted the entire way down. You could tell Ginny was excited to be on the team. Just about anything would make her laugh or smile. Nothing was going to dampen her spirits. Lunch was very pleasant. Jess looked over at the Slytherin table, most of them looked annoyed. To Jess' surprise, Malfoy didn't look extremely annoyed, only slightly annoyed. Madison was in his lap as happy as could be. She grabbed at Malfoy's hands as he ate. Draco was talking to Zabini about the Quidditch games earlier today.

"Why didn't you catch it?" Was Zabini's first question.

"Potter noticed it first." Draco responded quickly.

"Were you distracted by a hot girl or something?"

"No." Draco's tone sounded more irritated this time.

"How far have you got with the mudblood?"

"No where."

"I would have thought she'd be easy."

"I haven't tried."

"Why not?"

"I don't have to answer your questions, Blaise."

"Well?"

"What did I just say?" Draco looked over at him sharply.

"Right." Zabini then became silent. This gave Draco time to think. He really hadn't had much time to think over Thursday night's events. Looking back on it, Draco was reminded how he had felt that evening. It was one of the most terrible feelings. He hated that his father could make him feel like that. And worst of all, he hated that Jess had seen him like that. Draco had been taught all his life that fear was a weakness, and that as a Malfoy, he wasn't allowed to have a weakness. He was supposed to be proud. Proud of his pure blood, proud of being a Malfoy. He was supposed to look down on his inferiors as though they were trash, and to suck up to his superiors. Draco had to climb to the top of the success ladder. He had to act right, dress right, say the right thing, or what was right in his father's eyes. However right or wrong that might be. But on one knew about that. Only his family knew about it. None of what he called his 'friends' knew. He couldn't tell anyone. Everyone had to believe this is what he was like. True, some of what he acted like was him, but most of it was what Lucius wanted him to act like.

Draco had to keep up the act. He had to mask his true self with the image his father had created for him. His defenses were high, like a brick wall. No one was going to get through. He could keep it up. After all, he had for many years, but this encounter with the Boggart. Draco had shown fear. He had shown it in front of someone. And not just anyone, but someone he had been told to hate, someone who annoyed him constantly, because of how he was told to act. It unnerved him. What if she told her friends? That would be terrible! One of her close friends was her sworn enemy, Harry Potter. But something else worried him. The encounter with the Boggart had left a small crack in his defenses. It would be easy enough to repair, but he needed time. And he was worried if he'd have enough time…

Jess looked over and noticed Madison on Draco's lap. She then looked up at him for a moment. Draco had his eyes focused on his food. This wasn't usually something you would see. Shrugging it off, Jess resumed eating. After lunch she went outside to enjoy the Saturday afternoon. Sitting on one of the benches outside, Jess looked around at her surroundings. There were some students sitting on other benches, while others stood talking. The weather was nice for an October day. At the end of this week, Jess would still have two more weeks on this project. It was half over. This made her smile. The beginning of the project had been tough. It was only a few days ago that it had gotten the tiniest better. That had been a weird day.

Draco soon left the Great Hall, carrying Madison. He then walked outside, looking around he spotted to ignore her. That's what he'd normally do.

Jess continued to look around until she spotted Madison and Malfoy. Getting up, she walked over. "Want me to take her for a while?"

Draco nodded and handed Jess, Madison. He then walked off without saying a thing. He then walked back inside and up to the seventh floor. After walking by a stretch of wall three times, a door appeared. Draco walked up to the door to the Room of Requirement and opened it. He then walked in and shut the door behind him.

Jess took Madison and sat back down on the bench. Bouncing Madison on her knee, Jess smiled as Madison giggled. Madison looked so much like Draco it was amazing. Her eyes were the same blue as his and her hair the same blonde. If she had the chance to get older, Jess thought it would change more to a brown like hers. There were a few similarities between them. Madison soon began to grow tired and Jess walked back to their room. She placed her in her crib and began to work on her homework. An hour later, Draco came into the room. Jess looked up at the sound of the door opening.

He looked back at her and asked, "what?"

"Nothing" she responded.

"Good." He proceeded to walk to the bedroom.

"Something wrong?"

"No." He raised an eyebrow at her question. "Why?"

Her cheeks flushed a bit. "Was just wondering."

"Since when did you care?"

"Are you implying I shouldn't?"

"Do you really need to ask?"

"Fine, I won't then." Jess looked back at her parchment. Draco looked at her for a moment more and walked into the bedroom. He walked over to Madison's crib. Seeing that she was sleeping, he gave her a soft smile and grabbed his Charms book.

The rest of the weekend was uneventful. Unless you consider Neville misplacing Trevor and having him turn up in Lavender Brown's hair eventful.

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Alright folks, chapter eleven is up! I apologize for it being a shorter chapter but I think it was the best place to break it up. I was going to update this about 10 hours ago, but then I was at the last minute convinced to go on a three and a half hour car ride, which made me type up this chapter by the way because I had nothing better to do. Right after the car ride I was brought to a lock in at a library with my friends, so I also have not slept in quite some time, and it is 7:30 in the morning. Which is why I tend to believe that my thank you's don't seem as heart felt as they really are. I really do thank you all for reviewing! Until next time, as always PLEASE REVIEW!


	12. Confusion

Alright folks here is chapter twelve is here. Now I would like to take moment and remind you to please review. A thanks to all of you who continue to tell me what you think. Just in case you all forgot. I do not own Harry Potter.

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On Monday night Jess ate dinner with Hermione. Harry, Ron and Ginny were still at Quidditch practice.

"I'm looking forward to going to Hogsmeade this weekend." Jess said while grabbing for a breadstick.

"I need to get a couple new quills. It'll be nice to get some chocolate frogs as well." Hermione responded as she put down her cup.

"It seems like its been forever since we've gone to Hogsmeade."

"Well, we haven't gone since the start of summer."

"That's true."

"So, how have you been holding up?" Hermione then looked right at her.

"Its been difficult at times. I find it better when we ignore each other, but its hard to when we have to take care of Madison." Jess sighed softly as she looked back at Hermione. "Only two more weeks though."

"Hopefully he will be more bearable."

"I wouldn't count on it. You know how he can be."

Hermione rolled her eyes with that she knew fully well, look on her face. "If he does anything, let one of us know." She reminded her.

"I know Hermione. You have told me that before. So has Ron and I think Harry has too."

"We're just worried about you Jess. You said you know how Malfoy is. He's a pompous git. And I don't think that's going to change."

"Its only two more weeks. Fourteen more days. Three-hundred and thirty-six hours. One million two-hundred and nine thousand, six-hundred seconds…" Jess stared off blankly after the last figure.

"How did you break it down quickly?" Hermione looked at her with widened eyes.

"I figured it out a while ago."

"Oh… That's very impressive!"

"Is it? Or does it just show how much free time I had on my hands?"

"Cheer up, Jess. He can't be _that_ bad… Never mind it can be, this is Malfoy we are talking about."

"When are Harry. Ginny and Ron supposed to be down with Quidditch?"

"I'm not sure. Harry didn't say."

"Oh okay…"

"Come on Jess! We got to cheer you up somehow."

"I can't think of anything, Hermione."

"Why don't we go and visit Hagrid?"

"Hagrid!" Jess smiled.

"I'll take that as a yes." Hermione grinned as Jess nodded enthusiastically. "Just let me finish eating."

"'Kay." They both finished dinner and walked down to Hagrid's hut. Hermione knocked on the door. A few seconds later the booming barks of Fang could be heard. Soon the door swung open to reveal Hagrid.

"Was wonderin' when yeh'd come ter visit me." A warm smile was placed on his face. "Well, come on in!" Jess and Hermione walked in. Jess sat in Hagrid's huge armchair. Fang was excited and bounded over to her. He placed his head on her knee and got slobber on her robes. Jess didn't mind, she laughed and pet his head.

Hagrid walked over to the kitchen and grabbed some rock cakes to place on the table. Hermione made a face but quickly got rid ot it. Hagrid sat down at the table. "Tell me how yer doin'."

"Pretty well." Hermione said, while taking a seat. "The project has been pretty interesting."

"Glad ter hear it!" Hagrid replied, "How 'bout you Jess?"

Jess looked up from itching Fang's ears. "I haven't been as lucky as Hermione. My partner is Malfoy, and he hasn't made the project any easier."

"Yeh'll be fine. I know yeh can handle yerself."

"Thanks, Hagrid." Jess smiled and resumed itching Fang's ears. "Fang's happy."

"'Course he is! Fang loves when yeh visit."

"We should more often. We've just hadn't had a lot of time. The project is very time consuming."

"I know how school can be." He smiled, "remember I went here."

"How was Professor Dumbledore as a teacher?" Hermione asked.

"None greater than Professor Dumbledore" he stated.

"What did he teach?"

"Naturally, Defense Against the Dark Arts."

"I thought so. I wish we could have him teach us."

"He'd be a heck of a lot better than Umbridge. That's for sure!" Jess piped in.

"Just about any witch or wizard could have taught it better." Hermione responded.

"True. I wish Lupin would come back. He was the best Defense Against the Dark Arts teacher we've had! But he's busy in the Order."

"I miss his classes too, but its good he's in the Order."

"Wouldn't mind seein' him come back meself." Hagrid added while grabbing a rock cake.

"So how have you been Hagrid?" Hermione asked politely.

"Pretty good. Class has been treatin' yeh right?"

"Yes I think so."

Hagrid beamed. "I got some great ideas for class."

"I wish you'd bring Buckbeak to class" Jess responded.

"He can't because of Malfoy. Think of what he'd do if he saw that Buckbeak was alive." Hermione interjected.

"Malfoy… He ruins everything!"

"Not everything Jess…"

"It seems like it to me. First the project, not this. I can't wait until its over."

"Soon you won't have to see him no where near as much. That's got to count for something."

"I guess." Jess gave her a small smile. "I bet the others are done with Quidditch."

"Oh that's right! We should probably go." Hermione got up from her chair. "Nice seeing you Hagrid." She smiled and went to the door. Jess got up and followed her.

"Thanks, Hagrid!" She waved as they exited. Hermione and Jess went back up to the castle to se Harry, Ron and Ginny leaving the Great Hall.

"Hey, how was practice?" Jess asked while walking up with Hermione.

"Great! Ginny did very well." Harry smiled over at Ginny who was beaming with excitement.

"Glad to hear it! When's the next game?

"Not until December, but I don't know if Katie will want to come back so soon. Its two months, but she's still unconscious."

"I'm just glad you guys won. It was a victory for Katie."

"Yeah." Harry offered a small smile.

"You guys will do great. I'm not worried one bit."

"Thanks Jess. Our next match is against Hufflepuff."

"You'll do just fine then." Jess grinned. "They haven't been good since third year."

"Yeah, they would have been last year if Cedric…" Harry didn't finish his sentence. He was always overcome with grief when Cedric was ever mentioned.

"Its not your fault Harry." Jess lightly placed her hand on his shoulder.

"I could have done something though!"

"Harry, you did what you could. How were you supposed to know it was a portkey? You didn't want him to die. We all know that, Harry!"

Harry looked at Jess for a moment. He then took the time to look at Hermione, Ron and Ginny individually. Seeing the smiles on all of their faces he said. "Thanks, guys."

"No problem Harry." Hermione replied. "We're always here for you."

"I know." He grinned. They all went up to the Gryffindor common room. Jess challenged Ron to a chess match. Ginny and Harry convinced Hermione to join them in a game of Exploding Snap.

"Bishop to C-5." Jess said as the Bishop began to move and took Ron's Rook.

Ron grinned then said, "Knight to C-5." His knight then clobbered Jess' bishop.

Jess looked unphased as she ordered. "Queen to D-7." Her queen moved to right in front of the king. "Checkmate."

Ron laughed loudly. "Checkmate? You've got to be kidding me. There is no way you beat…" He didn't finish his sentence as he looked around the board. Everywhere he could move his king, it would be check. His eyes widened. "You beat me!"

"I hardly ever lose in this game. Only to you." Jess grinned. "But I finally beat you!"

Ron had a sour look on his face. "Well, good game I guess." He scooted out his chair and got up. Ron then went to see what the others were doing. A pouty look set on his face.

Jess laughed as she got up and joined the others. Once Harry, Ginny and Hermione finished, they all played a round. Ron won this, which brightened his spirits. It then was time to leave.

Ginny waved as the other four made it back to their rooms separate from Gryffindor house. Jess dressed going back and seeing Malfoy. He was such a pain, always concerned about himself and no one else. Jess sighed as she reached the door. Walking in, she didn't see Malfoy and went into their bedroom. No sign of either of them.

"He's keeping Madison up late." She said to herself with annoyance evident in her tone. Placing her schoolbag down, Jess quick finished her homework and then grabbed a shower.

Draco walked in with Madison. He had been looking for Jess all day after classes. Hearing the shower just turn on her groaned in frustration. Draco put Madison in her crib and got ready for doing rounds tonight. Since he was a prefect he had to patrol around the school halls after curfew. Draco walked back out the door. He had to meet up with the Slytherin girl who was also a prefect, which happened to be Pansy. Ugh… Draco rolled his eyes at the though. She was so annoying. Every time she saw him, her eyes lit up. She was in love with him, but he wasn't in love with her. In fact he wasn't in love with anyone. Sure he thought some people were hot, Pansy wasn't one of them though. Draco ran a hand through his hair, each strand of hair falling back into place. He walked to the front of the Slytherin house, where Pansy was waiting.

"Draco!" Pansy screeched as she jogged up to him.

Draco groaned inwardly. "Lets spilt up. I'll take the higher floors, you take the lower floors."

"Oh, but I thought we could patrol together." Pansy took a step closer.

"That's not as effective."

"Oh, you're right. Silly me."

"Of course I'm right. I'm always right."

"That's what I love about you." She purred while placing a hand on his arm.

"We have to patrol now!" Draco shoved her hand off and walked back up to the higher floors of the school. Now that he had Pansy out of the way, he could think about more important things. Mainly he needed to talk to Jess. He needed to see if she had told anyone about the night with the Boggart. Draco walked up to the fifth floor and back to his room. He saw that Jess was on her bed writing, while in her pajamas. Draco walked over and stood over her.

Jess looked up at him with an annoyed look on her face. "What?"

"I need to talk to you." He replied calmly.

"It can wait until tomorrow then." She looked back to her parchment and began writing. Draco jerked her off the bed. "Hey!"

"It can't wait." He replied sternly as he walked to the door, bringing Jess with him.

"Where are we going?"

"I have rounds tonight. Thought you could join me."

"Well you thought wrong then!" Jess jerked her arm from his grip.

"We need to talk. Now." Draco opened the door to the hall and pushed her through.

Jess turned to walk back into their room when Draco shut it. "Speak quickly." She said with narrowed eyes.

Draco grabbed her arm and dragged her down the hall. "I need to do rounds."

"Then this can wait until tomorrow!" Jess exclaimed.

Draco put his hand over her mouth to shut her up. Jess looked disgusted. "You'll walk with me."

"Fine" she mumbled.

Draco withdrew his hand and wiped it on his robes. They then began walking. For a few minutes all was silent. Draco was gathering his thoughts before he spoke. Jess just walked while looking ahead. She had no idea why he wanted to talk to her. Just when she thought he wasn't going to say anything, he spoke.

"Did you tell anyone about what happened on Thursday night?" He said in the calmest voice he could muster.

"Why do you ask?" Jess questioned with one of her eyebrows raised.

"Just answer the question!" He snapped back.

"No, I don't want to answer the question."

"It would be foolish of you not to."

"Then I'll be foolish. I don't have to answer to you Malfoy." She continued to walk, not looking at him. A small smirk was placed on her lips. Clearly she was annoying him. _He deserves it,_ she thought to herself.

Draco then walked a bit faster and then turned to face her. Jess crashed into him and landed on the floor.

"What was that for?" She growled, while rubbing her head.

"To get your attention. Listen, Anderson." Draco pulled out his wand and pointed it at her nose. "You will answer me and you will answer me now. Did you tell anyone?"

Jess rolled her eyes. She should have brought her wand. "No, I didn't. Can I leave your highness?"

A look of surprise crossed over Draco's face. "You didn't tell anyone?"

"No, now can I leave?"

"You've kept it a secret this entire time?"

"Yes! Its on

ly been three or four days. I can tell someone if you want me to."

Draco pulled Jess up so she was level with him before he spoke. "You tell no one what you saw."

Jess looked into his eyes and noticed a wave of fear flash over them for one brief second. "And why shouldn't I?"

"I will make your life here unbearable if you tell anyone." He said sternly, his eyes had a look of determination in them.

"Fine. Now can I go?"

"Fine? That's it?" His eyebrow raised slightly.

"Yep. Now if you'd let me go." Jess stepped back and turned, walking back to their room.

Draco blinked a few times before moving. All she said was fine. That was good enough for her? Or maybe she knew he would carry out on his word if she told anyone. _That had to be it,_ he thought. Otherwise it wouldn't make any sense. He then resumed his rounds in silence.

This was driving him mad. She usually fought against what he said. Well he did the same thing to her… Come to think of it he did it to her more than she ever did to him. At the end of his rounds, Draco returned to his room. He quick scribbled a note and then went up to the Owlery. He was going to figure out why she gave up so easily, so he could finally stop thinking about it.

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Author's note: Alright everyone chapter twelve is up. I am just going to warn you that for a while thing are going to slow down. Everything isn't going to be one exciting thing to the next. But as all people know, you need to suffer through the in-between parts and have the characters have time to let things soak through as well as let the plot develop. I hope you all stick with me, I tend to get a little lengthy... Updates will be slowing down a bit as I need to catch up and actually type out the chapters. One way to possibly speed up the process is reviews. So please as always, review.


	13. Ron and Hermione

Alright everyone here is chapter thirteen! There will be a brief author's note at the end of this chapter so please do read it. Again, if you haven't gotten the point yet, I do not own Harry Potter.

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Tuesday morning came and Jess woke up. She got out of bed and walked over to Madison's crib. Madison lay there still sleeping. Jess hated to wake her up so she went into the bathroom and got ready first. After stalling for as long as she could, Jess picked up Madison. And sure enough, she woke up. Jess quickly changed her diaper and fed her. Dressing her for the day, once she was done, Jess walked down to breakfast.

Ginny was talking with Dean when Jess came in carrying Madison. Dean got up from his spot, kissed Ginny on the cheek, and left. He resumed his spot next to Seamus and Neville. Jess came over and sat down.

"I hope I didn't interrupt anything."

"No, you didn't. We were just discussing where to meet up at Hogsmeade this weekend." Ginny replied with a smile on her face. "Are you looking forward to Hogsmeade?"

"Of course I am! How could I not be?"

Ginny laughed. "That's true."

"How's Quidditch practice going?"

"Really well. I feel bad about taking Katie's spot though."

"Don't feel bad, Gin. I know that if she could have picked who would take her place, would have picked you."

"You think so?"

"Would I have said so otherwise?"

"No."

"My point exactly." Jess smiled and gave her a quick hug.

"Thanks, Jess.'

"Anytime, Gin." The mail then came. About a hundred owls swooped down and delivered letters, packages, and some even the newspaper to their owners.

Ron, who had been having a deep conversation with Harry and Hermione, didn't even notice Jess walk in and sit beside them until her owl dropped a letter on his head. "Oi! What's this?" He picked it up and read Jess's last name on the front of the envelope. "Here Jess, it's for you."

Jess took the letter and began to open it. She the unfolded the paper inside to see neat handwriting.

_Anderson,_

_Meet me outside of the Room of Requirement at nine tonight._

_-Draco Malfoy _

Jess stared at the note for a few minutes. What did he want? She honestly had no idea, or whether or not she should go and meet him. Jess pondered this for a while silently, while eating. She looked over at the Slytherin table to see Draco looking at her, making sure she got his message. Jess quickly looked away and buried the note in her bag. She then got up and brought Madison to the daycare.

Jess then went to Herbology with Harry, Ron, and Hermione. They crossed the school grounds and over to the greenhouses. Professor Sprout opened the door to greenhouse number three and they all walked in. Sprout came in after them.

"I want you to all get into groups of two." She ordered while standing where everyone could see her. Jess and Harry paired while Hermione paired with Ron. Professor Sprout explained that they would be getting seeds from a dangerous plant and that they would need to work together. When she was done explaining, everyone went to work. Jess and Harry had few difficulties, while Hermione and Ron argued on how to attain the seeds. At the end of class, they all walked back up to the school and went to the daycare. Jess returned to her room to spend time with Madison. She decided to give her a bath which resulted in water everywhere. Jess changed her clothes and then rocked Madison in the rocking chair. She soon fell asleep. Placing her in her crib, Jess then did her Herbology homework. After an hour and a half, Jess grabbed Madison and went down to the Great Hall for lunch. She looked to see if Malfoy was at the Slytherin table. Sure enough there he was, talking with Zabini. She was still quite curious as to what Malfoy wanted to see her about. It would either be something important or something that had no importance what so ever. Shaking her head she ate lunch, while talking with the others. After lunch she went to double Arithmancy with Hermione. Harry and Ron went to double Divination. How they didn't go crazy in that class was beyond her. Arithmancy went on nicely, until it was the last class of the day which was Potions.

Professor Snape walked into the room stealthily and the door shut behind him. He carried many pieces of parchment in his arms; no doubt the test he mentioned would be today. Everyone was silent as Snape passed them down the rows. Ron groaned as he got his and Neville flinched. As soon as Hermione got her test she immediately began scribbling away. Jess got hers and looked at the first question. After pondering for a moment she began writing.

The entire room was filled with the sound of quills etching on parchment. Snape sat at his desk quietly and corrected some other papers. Ron ran his hand through his hair in frustration. Hermione tapped the end of her quill on her chin while thinking. The answer came to mind and she quickly jotted it down.

The most confused person in the room was Neville. He looked a tad frightened as he wrote. As if he knew that he was going to fail. Hermione finished with twenty minutes to spare, which she used to check over the test three times before turning it in. Jess finished as Hermione started checking over her test. She walked up to Snape and handed it to him. He didn't look up as she gave it to him. Jess then sat back down and pulled out her Arithmancy homework.

Once class was dismissed Jess, Harry, Ron and Hermione walked out of Potions together. Hermione began discussing the test.

"What did you think about question number seventeen?" Was the first thing that came out of her mouth.

"It wasn't too bad" Jess replied.

"How many uses did you come up for number forty-three?"

"Three I think."

"Oh good! I wasn't sure if I should put more than two."

"I did just to be safe."

"That's what I was thinking."

"Do we have to live through the test again? We already took it once" Ron whined.

"You're over reacting" Jess stated.

"No I'm not! She does this every time we take a test!"

Jess rolled her eyes. "Should I mention how annoying it is when all you talk about is Quidditch?"

"I do not just talk about Quidditch!"

"Really? Could have fooled me."

"Guys that's enough" Hermione interjected.

Jess looked at her. "You're right this is pointless." Jess looked at Harry and he simply shrugged.

"Have you finished the Transfiguration homework we have due tomorrow?" Hermione asked politely.

"No, I'm assuming you did." Ron commented even though he knew the answer.

"Yeah I did it over the weekend."

"Figures…"

"What was that Ron?"

"Nothing."

"Ron!"

"What?"

"Tell me what you said!"

"Nothing except that you don't need to have your homework completed three days before its due!"

"You shouldn't keep it until the last minute!"

"I don't! That would be if I did it tomorrow."

"You're impossible, Ronald."

"No, you are!"

Jess nudged Harry and whispered in his ear. "Lets go."

"Good idea. This isn't going to end anytime soon" Harry replied. They both walked the rest of the way up the stairs together. "I was going to visit Hagrid, do you want to come with?"

"Sure! Hermione and I went to see him while you, Ron and Ginny were at Quidditch practice." Jess smiled as they walked to Hagrid's.

"Nice goin' Harry!" Seamus teased as Harry and Jess passed by.

"Knock it off Seamus." Jess called back as Seamus and Dean laughed. Neville half-laughed not knowing what to do.

Jess and Harry continued walking to Hagrid's, not paying attention to Seamus and Dean. Harry knocked on the door and Fang soon started barking. "Hagrid! Its Harry!" Harry banged on the door.

"Hold yer horses! Fang out of the way. Fang!" Hagrid's voice was heard as he scooted him away from the door and answered it. "Hey Harry! Jess!" Hagrid smiled. "Where's Ron and Hermione?"

"Arguing, we thought it would be better to leave them alone." Jess responded to his question.

"I see. Well come in, make yerselves at home." He stepped aside and let them in. Harry took his usual spot and Fang laid his head on Harry's knee.

"How ya been Harry?" Hagrid poured some tea. When he got to a cup for Jess, she stuck out her hand.

"No thank you." She said politely.

"Ah, yeah. Fergot ya don't like tea." Hagrid put down the kettle of tes.

"Its alright."

"I've been alright. Busy with Quidditch." Harry piped in. Hagrid smiled and sat back down.

"Glad to hear it. Treacle tart?"

"Sure." Harry took one reluctantly and chomped down on the hard substance.

"Jess?" Hagrid offered one.

"Thanks Hagrid." Jess took one and started to eat it with a little difficulty. They continued talking for a while. Soon it was time for dinner and Jess and Harry left. They walked into the Great Hall to see Hermione and Ron sitting separate from each other.

"Not again" Harry groaned.

"Looks like it. I'll talk to Hermione. You deal with Ron." Jess said while looking over at them.

"Can't I talk to Hermione? Sometimes she's easier to talk to, when not speaking with one of us."

"Harry, I think you can handle Ron just fine."

"Alright, you owe me."

Jess laughed, "I'll get you a butterbeer at Hogsmeade."

"Deal." Harry walked over to Ron and Jess walked over to Hermione. After much convincing, Jess and Harry successfully had Ron and Hermione speaking to each other.

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Author's Note: Alright people its that time again where I know there are more people reading this than are reviewing. Please review! I think I'm going to set 40 as a goal. When I get 40 reviews I'll start updating again. Until then, this is the last chapter you will be getting.


	14. Confrontations, and a date?

Yay! We have reached 40 reviews! Well I guess a bit mroe than that, but anyways. A round of thanks to everyone that reviewed! Now I think I have a solution to this whole reviewing buisness. If everyone just reviewed as soon as they were done reading the chapter then the problem would be sloved! Anyways, sadly I do not own Harry Potter.

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At half past seven, Jess left the table. She walked up to her room and sat on her bed. It was a half hour until she was to meet up with Malfoy. Sighing, Jess grabbed out some paper from her notebook and doodled. At a quarter to eight, she got up and headed to the seventh floor.

Draco got to the seventh floor ten minutes early. He was holding Madison, who found it fun to pull on his hair. "Madison, stop that… Stop that!" He sighed, being annoyed and waiting for Jess to come.

Jess reached the seventh floor a couple minutes before eight. She saw Malfoy waiting there for her. "Okay, what did you want, Malfoy?"

Draco paced across the corridor three times and a door appeared. "In here."

"Just tell me here."

"Get in there! Now!"

"No! I don't have to!"

"Get in there mudblood!"

"Like that's going to get me in there."

"You'd be wise to do what I say."

"Sure, whatever you say."

"Good. Then get in there."

"I was being sarcastic!"

"And I wasn't." Draco opened the door. "Get in."

"You can't make me."

"Oh? I beg to differ." Draco walked behind her and pushed him in.

"Hey! What was that for?"

"You weren't listening to me."

"Not everyone hangs on your every word, Malfoy."

"Really? I thought they all did." He smirked and closed the door behind him. "Now on to business."

"And what would that be?"

"Why did you give up so easily yesterday?"

"Oh please! Can we just not go back to that?"

"I want to know. You are going to tell me."

"Sure."

"Don't make this difficult, mudblood."

"If your father didn't have such a big influence on the staff you wouldn't get away with this."

"Then I'm lucky he does. Now aren't I?" He smirked once more.

"Wipe that look off your face or I'll do it for you."

"Feisty aren't we?"

"And you look so menacing. You're holding a baby."

He narrowed his eyes and walked over to her. "At least I don't have to carry an infant to be recognized by anyone."

"At least I don't have to walk in my father's footsteps to be noticed."

His nostrils flared and his voice was low. "You had better watch what you say, mudblood. Or I will make your life a living hell."

"I'd like to see you try."

He took a step closer so that they were half a foot from each other. "I will, don't you worry."

"You'll never change Malfoy. You'll always be the egotistical snob that knows no meaning of what life is truly about. I pity you for having to be like that." Jess took a step back and then took one to the right and walked to the door. Draco stood their motionless as the door shut. He was becoming his father and he knew it. Draco growled in frustration. He had to break free of his father's influence before it was too late, before the transformation was complete, before he was the next Lucius Malfoy.

The next couple days passed rather quickly. Although one thing was different, Harry was quieter than usual, especially when he was around Jess. It was extremely odd for Harry to be so quiet around her. On Friday morning Jess had, had enough, she walked up to Hermione.

"Hermione, have you noticed Harry's been acting weird lately?"

"He has been when he's around you, now that you mention it. I wonder why." Hermione looked at Jess.

"I don't know why. I didn't say anything out of the ordinary." Just then Harry walked into the Great Hall. He sat by Ron quietly, as Ron launched into a conversation with him. Harry occasionally inserted a comment or a head nod. Clearly he wasn't listening really well.

Jess got up from her seat next to Hermione and walked over to Harry. "Harry?"

He nearly choked on his pumpkin juice when she spoke. After recovering, he turned around and looked up at her. "Yeah?"

"Can I talk to you for a moment?"

"Uh, sure… Excuse us Ron." Harry got up and followed Jess outside of the Great Hall.

"Harry is there something wrong?"

"No, why would you think that?" He avoided looking into her eyes.

"Harry, look at me."

Harry looked up and at her face and smiled at her. Harry sighed softly, he happened to have three beautiful girls as friends, Hermione, Jess and Ginny. "I was wondering if you wanted to go to Hogsmeade with me tomorrow."

Jess looked at him shocked. So that's what it was. He was just nervous to ask her out to Hogsmeade. "Sure, Harry. I'll go with you."

"Really?"

She laughed, "yes."

"Where should we meet up?"

"How about… Right outside of Honeydukes?"

"Sounds good."

"See you then." Jess walked back to her seat next to Hermione and Ginny.

"What was that about?" Ginny asked, beating Hermione to the question.

"I'll tell you guys later."

"On come on!"

"Ginny, I'll tell you later!"

"Fine…"

"Don't be mad about it. I'm going to tell you later."

"But when is later?"

"Later!"

"That's not helping."

"Look, I told you I'd tell you later. And I will. Notice how Hermione isn't freaking out?"

"Yeah, so?"

"I'll tell you later. I need to go get Madison from Malfoy." She stood up and walked over to the Slytherin table. Draco held Madison out without saying a thing.

"Er, thanks…" Jess held Madison in her arms and headed back to the Gryffindor table.

"I'm surprised at how much time Malfoy has been spending with her." Ginny commented while looking over at the Slytherin table.

"He knows he's not going to get a good grade if he doesn't take care of her." Jess responded while watching Madison.

"I suppose."

"That's exactly what it is. He'd never actually care for someone, other than himself."

"Yeah, this is Malfoy you're talking about."

"Yeah. Only one more week with him."

"You've done the impossible Jess. You survived five weeks in close proximity when Malfoy. The only girl I think that could do that is Pansy."

"She'd enjoy it."

"My point exactly."

"Anyway, can we get off the subject of Malfoy?"

"Sure, hey where are we meeting up at Hogsmeade?"

"I can't Ginny."

"What? I thought we were going to hang out and then later on I was going to meet up with Dean."

"Change of plans."

"Oh? Got a date do you?"

Jess felt warmth flood into her cheeks as she blushed.

"Who with?"

"Ginny, I don't want to talk about it."

"Oh fine. You're going to tell me someday."

"I will don't worry."

"Good."

Jess smiled as she bounced Madison on her knee. Madison giggled as she was bounced. "I'm going to miss her."

"Who, Madison?"

"Yeah. She's a lot of fun."

"She's so cute! Hard to believe something of Malfoy is cute."

"Yeah… Well he's not ugly, just everything else about him is."

Ginny laughed, "Very true!" After another fifteen minutes or so Jess left the Great Hall and went up to her room. She played with Madison before feeding her and changing her diaper. As Jess tucked Madison into her crib, Draco walked in.

"I need to talk to you." Jess said as he set down his stuff. Draco paid no attention to her as he grabbed out his Charms book.

Jess rolled her eyes and walked over to him. "Snape and McGonagall want us to spend some time together with Madison, while we're at Hogsmeade. I figure you take her in the morning and we meet up at the Three Broomsticks at noon. I'll take her after we part. How does that sound?"

"Whatever." He drawled as he flipped another page in his Charms book.

"Alright." She walked away and did her homework.

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Well there was chapter fourteen! I know these last few chapters have been a bit shorter, sorry about that. I'll try and make sure that they're longer. Anyway, please review as always!


	15. The date

Everyone there will be an author's note at the bottom of the page so I do suggest you check it out. This chapter is quite a bit longer, so I hope every one is generally happy about that. :) Just so you all know in case I decieved you somehow, I don't own Harry Potter.

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In the morning, Jess got up and showered. She then got dressed and got Madison ready. Once she was done, she handed her to Draco. "See you at noon." She left and walked down to where everyone was waiting to leave. Jess saw Harry and smiled. Harry grinned before continuing his conversation with Ron. Ten minutes later everyone got in carriages and they started moving towards Hogsmeade. Jess and Ginny talked the entire way. When they got there, people ran off with their friends to all of the different shops. Ginny spotted Dean and wandered off. Jess walked over to Honeydukes. Looking into the window she could tell the place was packed. Ron was inside with Harry. He had a pile of sweets next to him, while Harry had a few items. Harry quickly bought his stuff while Ron continued shopping. He snuck out and walked over to Jess.

"He won't notice for a while." He smiled and looked at her. "Shall we go then?"

"Sure" Jess smiled back. "Where are we going?"

"I thought we could get some breakfast at Madam Puddifoot's."

"Hopefully Ginny and Dean aren't in there."

"Yeah…"

"I'd like to keep this quiet until we see where this is going."

"Alright, I think that's a good idea. Ron might get depressed because he hasn't gone out with someone yet."

"Sadly, I can see that happening."

"He gets jealous sometimes."

"Like when you became a Tri-Wizard champion?"

Harry rubbed the back of his neck with one hand. "Yes, exactly what I was thinking of… He means well."

"Don't worry about it Harry." She smiled and Harry grinned back as they walked to Madam Puddifoot's. When they got there, Harry opened the door and let Jess walk in before walking in himself.

The small shop was warm and cozy. It smelled strongly of perfumes and the lighting was dimmer than most other shops. The tables around the room were small and only meant for two. At this early hour the shop was empty. There were a couple, couples that neither of them recognized. A thin woman dressed in deep red walked over to Harry and Jess.

"Welcome" she smiled, "follow me please." The woman walked off and Harry and Jess followed. They came to a table in the corner and stopped. "Here we are." The woman placed down a couple sheets of red paper, which were apparently the menus. "I'll send someone over in a few minutes." She then wandered off to wherever she had come from.

Jess and Harry each too a seat and sat down. Harry looked at the menu nervously, since he was worried this was going to backfire like the time with Cho.

Jess noticed his uneasiness and spoke. "Harry its fine. We're best friends remember? I wouldn't storm out of here."

Harry looked up at her and cracked a small smiled. "Thanks Jess."

"Don't mention it." She smiled back as a woman in deep read approached. She was a bit shorter and had blonde hair.

The woman smiled as she saw the two converse. "Young love." She muttered to herself with a grin on her face. She proceeded to watch them until Harry turned and looked at her. "Oh, sorry dears, I didn't want to interrupt." A large smiled was plastered on her face. "What can I get you two?"

Jess looked up from the menu and over to the server. "Pumpkin juice."

"I'll have one as well." Harry replied after her.

"Two pumpkin juices. I'll be back with those in a couple minutes." The woman smiled at them one more time before leaving to get the drinks.

Once she was gone, Harry leaned in closer to Jess and whispered. "She reminds me a lot of Rita Skeeter."

Jess thought for a moment. Rita Skeeter, the same woman who had snuck into Hogwarts to over hear conversations and publicize them in her article in the _Daily Prophet_. This was also the same woman who tried to make it seem as though Harry and Hermione were a couple. Also that Hermione was playing both fields and trying to get Viktor Krum. Which she had convinced Mrs. Weasley and who knows who else. "You don't think it's her do you?" She whispered back.

"No, I don't think so, but there is a strong resemblance. Don't you think?"

"Yeah, that's kind of eerie, now that you mention it."

"No need to whisper. This is a place where you can freely express your love for one another." The waitress had come back and set their drinks down.

Jess and Harry pulled back and sat back in their seats normally. The woman frowned as they withdrew but quickly covered it with a smile. "What else can I get you two?"

"Cauldron cake" Harry said.

"Um… Pumpkin Pasty." Jess said while looking at the red piece of paper.

"Sounds lovely! I'll be back shortly." The woman then left again.

"She's kind of odd." Jess stated once she was gone.

"I think she gets to much joy out of prospect couples."

"Yeah, I would say so. Did you see how she frowned when we resumed sitting normally in our chairs?"

"No, I didn't, but that's…. different."

"Very different. Are you sure its not Rita Skeeter?"

"I'm pretty sure."

"I say once we're done eating we leave quickly."

"Agreed. The perfume is too strong in here." Harry swatted his hand in the air, indicating how thick and dense the perfume was. Jess laughed quietly, so not to cause too much attention their way.

"Its too strong when you can taste it" Jess commented.

"Here she comes." The waitress came back and placed their orders down.

"Anything else I can get you two?" She looked from Harry to Jess then back to Harry, then back to Jess.

"The bill please." Harry said while looking at her.

"Oh yes of course." She looked disappointed as she walked away.

"Where would you like to go after this, Jess?"

"Hmm… Honeydukes? The others should be out of there now."

"Sounds good. Hopefully our server doesn't take long."

By the time they were done eating the bill came. Harry paid quickly and Jess thanked him. They then walked out and headed to Honeydukes. Harry had already gotten what he wanted so he looked around the shop with Jess. Jess looked around for a while, deciding what sounded like something she'd like, while taking into consideration what she already liked. Also she remembered how much she was willing to spend in the store. Jess ended up buying a couple Chocolate Frogs as well as a couple Cauldron Cakes. Harry and Jess walked over to the Shrieking Shack, where they knew they wouldn't be bothered. Sitting down on a large rock, Jess looked at the Shrieking Shack.

"I wonder what it was like when; Lupin, Sirius and your dad were in there."

Harry sat down next to her. "Probably really fun. I'm guessing there were a lot of practical jokes played on each other. Well at least Sirius and my dad."

"It would be cool to go back and see what it was like back then. To see our parents when they were our age, what was in back then. All sorts of different things."

"I'd like to see what brought my parents together. In the memory I saw they didn't like each other much."

"Things change, Harry."

"I know but it didn't seem like my mum liked my dad at all."

"I don't know what to tell you Harry, but something must have changed. They got together. They got married, and they had you. In the photo album that Hagrid gave you, they looked very much in love."

Harry looked over at her and smiled. "You're right Jess, something happened."

"Of course I'm right!" She grinned and winked at him. Harry smiled back and looked forward at the Shrieking Shack.

Jess looked down at Harry's watch and stood. "I'm sorry I have to cut this short, but I have to meet up with Malfoy and get Madison from him."

"Its fine Jess. I had a lot of fun."

"So did I. Thanks for asking me Harry. I'll see you later." She smiled and waved before disappearing.

Harry sat on the rock for a few more moments; content with how everything had went.

Jess hurried to the Three Broomsticks. As she walked she reflected back on the morning with Harry. It had been nice just being with him. Not having anyone interrupt, or having Ron and Hermione bicker at each other. She would be looking forward to next time if Harry asked her again. As she reached the door, Jess cleared her mind and focused on the task at hand. Jess walked thru the doors of the Three Broomsticks. She saw some of her classmates gathered around tables, including Malfoy who was sitting with Crabbe, Goyle and Zabini in the corner. Jess walked over and stood at a distance. Malfoy shooed them away and told her to sit. She did reluctantly and looked over at him.

"So, what should we do today?" She asked politely.

"Get this over with quickly." Came his response.

"I know that, but what?"

"Sit here."

"No."

"Yes."

"No, Malfoy. We're supposed to be spending time with Madison."

"We are. I don't see the problem." He raised an eyebrow, which made Madison, who was in his lap, giggle.

"We should show her around."

"Like she's going to remember. You realize after this week she's not going to exist anymore?"

"Yes, which is why we should make it memorable."

"I don't understand you, Anderson."

Jess stood. "Come on lets show her around."

"No."

Jess took Madison from his arms. "Fine, Madi and I will go."

"Whatever."

"You won't get a good grade on this part." Jess began walking towards the door.

Draco groaned in an annoyed tone and got up. He followed her out of the Three Broomsticks and out onto the street where they could be seen.

"I was thinking Honeydukes, and then Zonko's." She said while looking back at him.

Draco caught up to her. "Whatever." He stuffed his hands in his pockets and followed.

They walked into Honeydukes and looked around. Jess went to the front desk to see if they had any candy for small children. The clerk walked her back to a small section where there were a few candies for children under the age of two. Jess looked at them and asked Draco's opinion. He replied in one or two word answers. Wondering why in the heck she was consulting him, Jess finally picked out a couple candies for Madison and paid for them at the front desk. Draco followed her up to the counter. The clerk looked at Draco oddly, wondering why he wasn't the one paying. For all he knew they were a young couple. Draco got annoyed with the man inspecting him and dug out some money out of his pockets and placed it on the counter. "Let's go." He said as he flashed an annoyed glare at the clerk.

"Thanks." Jess said once they got out of the shop.

He held up a hand, meaning it was nothing. As they walked down the street, a few young women a couple years older than Jess stopped them in the street. They goggled over Madison and commented on how adorable she was.

"Are you the father?" One of them asked.

"Yes" Draco smirked. He had to admit his kid was good looking. After a few minutes, Draco grabbed Jess' arm and continued walking until they were gone. He then let go, quickly brushing his hand on his cloak.

Madison was clearly enjoying herself. She bounced excitedly in Jess' arms. Taking in everything she could. As she saw a man approach, she clapped her hands together and said. "Dada."

Jess and Draco looked at each other and then at Madison. Jess smiled and kissed her head. A smirk tugged at Draco's lips, but then went away as he saw the man that she was calling dada.

Lucius was walking down the streets of Hogsmeade. He had heard this was the weekend Hogwarts was going to Hogsmeade and wanted to speak with his son Draco.

As he walked down the street, Lucius noticed his son with a pretty young lady and a small child. As he got closer he recognized the girl. She was with Potter in the Department of Mysteries. She wasn't only a friend of Potter, she was a mudblood. Why was his son with a filthy mudblood?

Draco saw his father approaching and quickly grabbed Jess' arm. "Come with me."

"Where are we going?"

"Don't ask me questions, just follow me." He said sternly.

"Malfoy, where are we going?"

"Draco." Lucius soon stood in front of them. Draco's grip on Jess' arm tightened.

"Father." He responded coolly.

"And who is this?" Lucius looked down at Jess. "Someone I should know?" He glared right at Draco's hand on her arm.

Draco flinched under his gaze. "She's my partner for a project."

"Oh, and nothing more?"

"No."

"Good. I would hate to think you had interest in a mudblood." He looked down in Jess' arms and saw Madison. "And what is that abomination?" He looked disgusted at her, as though her very presence insulted him.

"She is not an abomination!" Jess yelled loudly.

"Anderson." Draco said warningly. His hand tightened protectively on her arm.

"You should keep your mouth shut, mudblood. You wouldn't want my hand to accidentally slip and…" He motioned his wand toward Madison's face.

"Don't you dare!" She looked up at him with anger burning in her eyes.

Draco yanked her to the left and continued walking. Leaving his father watching them with his eyes narrowed.

"What was that about?" Jess asked as they walked.

"I don't know." He responded, not letting go of her arm. They continued walking until they got to Zonko's joke shop. Draco let go of her arm once they were safely inside. He looked out the door and didn't see his father coming. Draco then resumed his position at Jess' side. He watched her look at various sorts of pranking products. Madison laughed as Jess made some of the practical jokes work. Jess grinned and laughed along with her. Draco couldn't help but smile. Once they were done in the shop, they went their separate ways. Jess joined up with her friends and Draco joined back up with Crabbe, Goyle and Zabini.

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Author's Note: Chapter fifteen is now up! Just so you know I will not be posting for a couple days after this, and for two reasons. One, I won't have internet access until Sunday night, once I leave work. And two, I want to give you all time to review. I noticed in my email today that a couple more people added this to their alert so they know when I update, but I also noticed that a good portion of those people have not reviewed. Please review! I know its annoying and what not but please do! It gives me more of a reason to make myself type up the chapters so you can all see them. That's another reason I'm not posting for a couple days, this is the last thing I have typed up! But rest assured there will be plenty more where that came from. Just scroll down to the bottom of the page and press Go on the submit review! Its quick and painless, just tell me your thoughts and boom! Finished! So, I do not know when I will be updating, it might be Monday, but if I don't see reviews, it might be Wednesday or Thursday, or some later date. As always, PLEASE REVIEW!-Jess


	16. The departure of Madison

Alright everyone, I now have chapter sixteen for all of you to read and review! Just so you know it gets a bit slower from here on out for a while. I tended to get too detailed so just bare with me here. I do not own Harry Potter.

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The next few days passed by quickly. Their homework load was lot lighter, probably because it was the last week of their project. What surprised Jess the most was that Malfoy spent time with Madison. She didn't want to strangle him every minute they were in the same room. That was definitely an improvement. She felt bad about not spending much time with Harry, hopefully he would understand why. It had nothing to do with him. Once this project was over she'd have more time.

Sunday finally came; Jess and Draco had their trunks packed. Jess held Madison in her arms, a big smile was on Madison's face. Jess smiled back weakly, she had so much fun taking care of her and didn't want to her to go forever. Draco walked around the room one more, to check for anything he might have forgotten to pack. Once he was satisfied he walked to the front door. "Let's go." He said while opening the door. Jess followed him through the door. They walked to the infirmary in dead silence.

Once they got there Draco opened the door and walked in. Jess walked in after him. She looked around to see a lot of her classmates were feeling the same way she was. Draco's face showed no emotion what so ever. He looked ahead at Snape and McGonagall, wanting this to get going. McGonagall began to speak but hardly anyone was listening. They were all deep in their own thoughts.

Draco looked over at Madison in Jess' arms. She really wasn't that bad, and dare he say it? Fun. Yes, he had, had fun with the baby. If anyone found out that's how he felt, he'd be dead. Plain and simple, his father would go nuts. He shuddered inwardly at the thought.

McGonagall started calling names and soon couples came up one by one, handing their child back over to McGonagall. "Madison Malfoy." She called out.

Jess and Draco walked up with Madison. Jess gave her a last kiss on the top of her head before handing her over. Once she had, Jess left the room. Draco smirked triumphantly, having gotten rid of Madison, when in fact he sort of missed her.

Jess walked back up to the Gryffindor house. She said the password clearly and walked in. Looking around the common room, she sighed a sigh of content. She was back in her house, away from Malfoy. She wouldn't have to put up with him outside of class. That in it self cheered her up drastically. True he hadn't been as bad the last week, but that didn't change anything. He was still the same snobbish prick, and she hated him. He was just out of his element when it came to the project. He would be back to his annoying normal self stating Monday morning.

Sure enough she was right. The next morning, everyone gathered in the Great Hall. Malfoy was up to his normal self once more, laughing at the expense of others. Jess rolled her eyes, at least she didn't have to live with that anymore.

Ginny came and sat down next to her. "How are you doing?"

"I'm alright. It was sad to have Madison go. But at least I'm not stuck with Malfoy anymore."

"Understandable, I liked her too. She was such a cutie."

Jess smiled fondly. "Yeah. I don't think I could have stomached Malfoy so long if I hadn't had her there."

"He's up to his old self again." Ginny pointed out while looking over there.

"Yeah I noticed. As long as I don't have to put up with it… So how have you been?"

"Pretty good, it was nice to see Dean and spend time with him."

"What did you guys do?"

"Not a while lot, went to Zonko's, Honeydukes the usual stuff. How about you? How was your date with mystery man?" Ginny grinned as she saw Jess' cheeks flush.

"It was good. Nothing special went to some of the usual places, as well as few news ones."

"Like?"

"Do you know you're nosy?"

"Yeah, and what's your point?"

Jess looked at her and laughed."

"Well?" Ginny gave her a look, telling her to continue.

"He took me to Madam Puddifoot's."

"Oh, how romantic!"

"Ginny! Shush!"

Ginny chuckled as Jess' face grew redder. "So, how was that?"

"Fine…"

"Did he try to kiss you?" She winked playfully.

"GINNY!"

"What?! Just wondering."

"No, he didn't."

"Are you two alright?" Harry asked as he and Ron looked over. Hermione was else ware doing homework.

"We're fine. Jess had a date to Hogsmeade and I'm asking her about it." Ginny answered while smiling.

"Oh. That's great Jess." Harry said while trying not to give himself away.

"Thanks Harry." Jess smiled weakly.

Ron didn't look very pleased but faked it anyways. "Who is it Jess?"

"I'd rather not say."

"Why not?"

"Yeah why not?" Ginny piped in.

"Guys! I just don't want to okay?" Jess looked at all three of them.

"Okay, no need to get angry." Ron said holding his hands out in front of him. Ginny rolled her eyes at Ron's weak attempt to wash his hands clean of annoying Jess.

"I'll see you guys later." Jess stood up and grabbed her bag. She then left the room.

Ginny watched her leave and hit Ron on the shoulder. "Nice going."

"What?" He looked at his sister while rubbing his shoulder.

"You need to work on your manners."

"Like you're one to talk?"

She scoffed and turned the other way and began speaking to Parvati.

Zabini looked up and over at the Gryffindor table as Jess stood. He eyed her with a mysterious glint in his eye. Draco looked over at him and followed his gaze back over to Jess. He warily looked at him before elbowing him in the side. "What are you looking at?" Draco drawled lazily, succeeding in not sounding how he felt.

Zabini tore his gaze away from Jess just as she reached the door and looked at Draco. "Nothing, what was that for?"

"You seemed pretty engrossed in whatever you were looking at."

"It was nothing." He waved it off. "Just something I'm interested in."

"A mudblood, Zabini?" Draco asked curiously.

"All the more reason. She'll be easy to dump once I'm done with her. Don't you think?"

"You do have a good point. I wouldn't sink that low though. She's a mudblood."

"Whatever suits you, I guess."

Ron was deep in a conversation with Seamus, while Ginny was talking with Parvati. Harry took this chance and slipped out of the Great Hall to see Jess. He walked up to the Gryffindor house and uttered the password to the Fat Lady. Once he was inside, Harry made his way to a chair. Knowing guys weren't allowed to go to the girls dorms, he would have to wait for her to come down. Luckily the common room was empty, since everyone was at breakfast still. Harry sat and thought of what he'd say once Jess came down.

Ten minutes passed and then Jess came down from her room. She noticed Harry sitting by himself. While taking a step forward she spoke. "Harry?"

He turned around in his chair and looked at her. "Hey." Harry stood up and smiled.

"Did you wait long?"

"No, only about ten minutes."

"Oh, okay. I'm glad" she smiled.

Harry made his way over to her but walked into the chair he had been previously sitting in. He cringed slightly as a pain went up his leg.

"Oh, are you alright?" Jess took a couple steps forward.

"Yeah, I'm fine." He straightened back up and walked around the chair and over to her. "I was wondering if you wanted to go out with me again."

"I'd love to Harry, but how are we going to pull that off without people seeing us?"

"I do have my invisibility cloak. We could go to the Room of Requirement."

"I didn't think of that. Great idea Harry!"

"It was nothing." He nervously ran a hand through his hair. "Um, when would you like to?"

"Hmm… How about Thursday after dinner?"

"Where should I meet you?"

"You decide."

"Alright… In front of the kitchens?"

"Sounds good." She smiled at him. "We better get to class though. Even if it is professor Binns."

"I'll walk with you." They both smiled and walked out of the common room. Arriving a bit early, Jess looked around for any signs of Ron and Hermione.

"Hopefully they aren't arguing." She mused quietly.

"Who?" Harry had obviously been thinking of something else.

"Ron and Hermione."

"Oh. I'm sure they're not. One can only argue so much."

"But you do realize this is Ron and Hermione we are talking about?"

"I know but even Hermione gets fed up with it." They both laughed as Ron and Hermione arrived.

"What's the joke I missed?" Ron asked with a cheesy grin.

"You had to be here to understand." Jess said while smiling.

"Oh, alright."

"Did you all do the homework that was due today?" Hermione piped in with interest.

"We had homework?"

"Don't tell me you didn't do it Ron?"

"Does that really surprise you?"

"No, but if you want my help on it, you'll have to do it first."

"Fine." He grumbled as the door opened and everyone walked in. They all sat in their respective seats next to each other as professor Binns began to rattle on about something no one but Hermione cared about.

"I don't know how you do it." Harry whispered to Hermione.

"Do what" she asked.

"Write such detailed notes." He grinned as Hermione hit him lightly.

"You should too you know."

"I'm doing better than Ron." They both then looked over to Ron who was sleeping peacefully with his head on his desk. The sad thing was that he did this almost every time they had this class. One of the rare times he had been awake was when professor Binns told them about the Chamber of Secrets. But that didn't last long and was soon back to dozing off once professor Binns stopped talking about it.

"That's not saying much."

"That I'm actually awake?"

"A lot of other people are."

"Barely." Just as he mentioned that, Seamus's head slammed against his desk. Professor Binns didn't notice and continued to ramble. They both looked over at Seamus, who didn't stir.

"Is he alright?"

Harry looked at him. "That can't be healthy."

"Maybe we should take him up to the hospital wing?"

"I don't think its that serious, Hermione." She looked over at Seamus worriedly.

"What are you guys talking about?" Jess whispered over Ron's sleeping form. Still professor Binns didn't notice.

"I don't think Seamus is alright." Hermione whispered back.

"That was a loud thud. I think he'll be okay though."

Hermione shook her head and began scribbling notes once more. Jess leaned over a bit more. "Next time Ron is sitting on the edge. He always falls asleep and I miss out on what's going on."

"You really didn't miss anything Jess." Harry whispered back."

"You sure?"

He nodded, "Positive."

"Okay." She smiled and drifted her attention back to the front of the room.

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Chapter sixteen it up! Please, please, PLEASE, review! Its very important that I get feedback from all of you. Well thats all for now, please review as always :)


	17. An Unfortunate Turn of Events

Hello everyone! Thank you for all of the reviews as always! A point of interest I would like to mention before we start this chapter off. Someone commented about how they would like to see more Draco and Jess. Well I hate to break it to you all but right now that won't be happening. Draco will still be in the story, but right now they don't have a lot of interaction with each other. Instead its more of the Jess and Harry show at the moment. Bare with me everyone. Also, in case you were wondering. I do not own Harry Potter.

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It was a good thing Hermione took such in depth notes in this class. She could never concentrate enough to. The class ended and Harry jarred Ron awake. He looked around the room in a daze before doing anything.

"What'd I miss?" He said groggily while gathering his things.

"Nothing exciting." Harry stood up from the desk.

"If there was something exciting I would have stayed awake." They both laughed while walking out of the room. "So Hermione, did you take notes?"

"Yes I did."

"Can I see them?"

"No."

"What?! Why?"

"If you would have paid attention you wouldn't need to see them."

"But Hermione" he groaned. "He's so boring!"

"Harry and Jess stay awake."

"Don't drag us into this!" Jess exclaimed quickly.

"Anyway Ron, you should really pay attention. I won't always be there for you."

"Yes you will."

"No, I won't Ronald!"

"Hey!"

"Like right now."

"What?"

"You heard me. Do your own homework."

"But I don't know what the homework is!"

"Ask someone else." She turned and looked over to Jess. "Let's go to Charms."

"Okay." She followed after Hermione, not wanting to upset her.

Ron walked over to Harry. "What's her problem? All I asked was to look at her notes."

Harry looked at Ron. "You were going to ask her to do your homework."

He sighed, "So?"

"She doesn't like it when you do that."

"And you understand women?"

"I never said I did."

"You're acting like it."

"I am?"

"You are, Harry."

"I really don't think I am."

Ron rolled his eyes. "You are."

"And why do you say that?" He gave Ron an interested look, curious as to his reasoning.

"You just are."

"That's not a reason."

"Sure it is."

"We should go to Charms." He began walking to Flitwick's classroom. Ron eventually caught up.

"So are you ready for practice tonight?"

Harry grinned, "Of course I am, you?"

"Like you wouldn't believe!"

He laughed, "Was Lavender that bad?"

"No, actually I was thinking of asking her out."

"Are you serious?"

"Yeah. Why, don't think I can get a date?" He looked away from Harry.

"No! I didn't say that, Ron."

"What?"

"You said that, not me."

"I know that's what you were thinking."

"No I wasn't Ron." He responded while walking.

"Yes you were."

Harry stopped and turned around to face him. "Ron, I wasn't thinking that." He replied calmly.

"Okay. So do you think I should ask her?"

"I don't see why not."

"Thanks Harry."

"No problem" he smiled. "We should get to class though." They both walked in a minute before class started. Hermione ignored Ron and Ron did likewise. Jess and Harry looked at each other with withering looks at the fact that they were fighting again. The only conversation between the four of them was the occasional comment Harry and Jess said to each other when they had the chance to.

Jess concentrated on the task at hand. She was supposed to use Accio, without saying a thing. It was harder than she thought it would be. Halfway thru class she saw the quill she was supposed to make come to her, wiggle in its spot. Sighing softly she pressed onward.

Hermione had the quill coming to her from across the room. Professor Flitwick was thrilled at how quickly she was progressing. Ron grumbled in his spot and stared intently at his quill. He looked as though he was about to murder it. Class soon ended and they all went to lunch.

Hermione went and sat with Parvati and Lavender, and Ron went and sat with Seamus and Dean. Ginny soon came over to Jess and Harry and started chatting.

Draco looked up from his lunch and let his eyes wander to the Gryffindor table. There she was, laughing and talking with Potter and Weaselette. Making a mental note that he would have to bug her later, Draco looked away. The last thing he needed was for people to notice him looking over there, even if it was to plot how to annoy her. He then resumed eating and talking with people at his table. Pansy was rambling on about something or other, probably something that wasn't important in the slightest.

"What do you think Draco?" Pansy looked at him dreamily.

"What do I think of what?" He said in a bit of a snotty tone.

"Wouldn't it be just romantic if we snuck out at midnight and went swimming in the lake?"

He raised an eyebrow. "Are you crazy? There are two things wrong with that idea."

"What would that be Drakie?"

Draco looked at her with a look of repulsive nature. Crabbe and Goyle roared with laughter. He shot them both a death glare and they both instantly shut up. Draco smirked and looked back at Pansy. "One, it involves swimming in that accursed lake. Two, it includes you and me together, and alone for that matter."

Pansy looked at him sadly. "Wha-What do you mean Drakie?"

"If you ever call me that again I will make you wish you were in St. Mungo's." He replied venomously.

Pansy's eyes started to water. "What did I ever do to you?"

"You existed."

Her eyes grew wide as she shoved herself from the table. Pansy quickly grabbed her things and ran out of the room.

Draco smirked, "Finally some peace." Crabbe and Goyle decided this would be a good time to laugh at someone's expense, mainly Pansy.

Zabini on the other hand was too busy staring at the Gryffindor table. A creepy smirk placed on his features. Draco followed his gaze. He made another mental note that he'd have to have a talk with him.

A large amount of people from the other houses were looking at the Slytherin table, wondering exactly what made Pansy run out, and congratulate whoever succeeded in making her do so. Draco had his usual smirk on his face signaling he was the cause. Quickly heads turned back around and conversations picked up again.

"He's such a jerk." Jess commented to Ginny and Harry.

"Malfoy? Do you expect different?" Ginny said with a raised eyebrow.

"No I don't. I don't expect him to ever change." Lunch ended and they took their separate ways. Jess and Harry walked to Defense Against the Dark Arts.

"Do you ever think they are going to realize they liked each?" Jess asked while walking to Slughorn's class.

"Ron and Hermione" Harry questioned.

"Yeah."

"I wouldn't count on it. Ron is thinking of asking Lavender out."

"Lavender Brown?" She turned and looked at him.

"Yes."

"Why?"

"They were partners for the project."

"Oh, so he's not mad at Hermione about anything? Like her writing to Krum?"

"I think he's gotten over that now."

"What do you think he would do if he thought they had kissed?"

Ron finally came into view. He had been listening to some of their conversation. It had caught his interest when Jess mentioned Hermione and Viktor Krum. "Hermione kissed Krum?!" He shouted loudly.

"Ron!" She and Harry turned around.

"She did, didn't she?"

"I don't know, Ron."

"Don't lie! You know she did!"

"Ron, I don't know anything about that!"

"Then why did you mention it?"

"You shouldn't eavesdrop on other people's conversations."

"You shouldn't be talking about me! Harry, did she?" Ron looked over at Harry pleadingly. Hoping he'd say no. That Hermione and Krum didn't kiss.

"I don't know Ron." He answered truthfully. Ron scoffed and walked off. "Ron!" Ron quickly rounded the corner and was gone. Harry watched him leave and sighed. "Looks like its going to be me and you for a while."

"Ron should learn to grow up. So what if Hermione might have kissed Krum two years ago? Does it really matter?" Jess said while continuing walking to Defense Against the Dark Arts with Harry.

"No, but Ron thinks so."

"Well he's wrong!"

"I know he is. He's just hard to convince otherwise."

Sighing softly, Jess looked up at Harry. "I know."

Harry gently placed an arm around her shoulder. "He'll come around eventually. He always does."

"I know, but how long will it take him this time?"

"Hopefully not long."

"We can hope so." Harry let go and his arm returned to his side as they approached Slughorn's classroom. Hermione was standing there quietly. When Harry and Jess approached she walked over with a smile on her face.

"Where have you two been?" She asked both Harry and Jess.

"We got stopped by Ron. He was being a prat." Jess responded, getting Hermione's nod of approval.

"I was wondering if you two would like to meet up with me in the library after dinner."

"Sure, Hermione, I was wondering if you could help me on the Charms homework."

Hermione's smile grew wider. "Of course Jess, say around seven?"

"I'll be there."

"You, Harry?"

"I can't, Quidditch practice at seven-thirty. Sorry, Hermione." Harry replied apologetically.

"Its okay Harry. I know you have to make sure Ginny is ready for the next match."

"Thanks for understanding. We could meet up in the library before dinner if you like?"

"Alright, does that work for you Jess?"

"Do you mind if Ginny comes? I was going to hang out with her before dinner." Jess asked nicely.

"Of course! So, around four?"

"Sounds good." Both Harry and Jess replied. Professor Slughorn then walked over and opened the door. All of them walked in and took their seats. Hermione grabbed out a quill and parchment, ready to take notes on.

"You won't need that today, Miss Granger." Slughorn commented while sitting on the front of his desk. "Funny coincidence, while at the Three Broomsticks this weekend, I ran into one of my old students. I don't you know him but he's an excellent Auror. Yes sir, he was called to duty when that break out in Azkaban happened last year." He continued to ramble on about how this student sent him presents every Christmas because of how well he taught him in Potions class. Because that's usually what he taught but Dumbledore had no other choice besides Snape, which apparently he didn't want him to get the position. Slughorn continued to ramble on until Hermione loudly cleared her throat. He then decided to actually start talking about the lesson for the day. Hermione scribbled away on her parchment. Jess took notes as well. At least in this class, Ron was awake, even though he was sitting with Seamus and Dean, halfway paying attention. It was still an improvement. After class Harry and Hermione went to the library as Jess went to go and find Ginny.

"Have you talked to Ron?" Hermione asked quietly as they sat at a table in the back of the library.

"A little bit today, why did something happen?" Harry asked a little too loudly, as he got a glare from the librarian Madam Pince.

"He was looking at me funny during Defense Against the Dark Arts. I have no idea why, do you?"

"Oh… Yeah, I don't know. Any ideas?" He said convincingly.

"No, if this is all about not helping him with his homework then he's over reacting." Just then Jess and Ginny walked in. Ginny sat down opposite Hermione and Jess sat opposite Harry.

"So how do you all feel now that your project is done?" Ginny asked as she sat down.

"Much better, I'm not around Malfoy anymore" Jess commented.

"And who wouldn't be?" Ginny grinned, "Harry? Hermione?"

"I didn't have a bad experience like Jess did. It was actually sort of fun. I think Parvati was still mad about the Yule Ball." Harry replied with an uncertain look on his face.

"I'm sure she was over it Harry" Hermione interjected. "Seamus wasn't bad and Emma was fun."

"You all had babies that looked like you besides Jess" Ginny observed.

"Thanks Ginny." Jess looked over at her.

"Well its true!"

"I know the amazing thing is that Madison was cute."

"I saw the way Pansy coveted her."

"She wanted to steal my baby?"

"Of course she did. It was her precious Draco's baby that looked just like him."

"Ginny, I've never heard you say his name before."

"You won't again either, unless I'm imitating Pansy." They both laughed.

"Shh! We are in the library." Hermione said sternly. "Besides, we should really work on our homework. You said you needed some help with Charms, Jess?"

"Yeah, I hardly got my quill to move."

"Same with the rest of the class but Hermione" Harry commented.

"Still, I wanted some help."

"Well, how hard wee you concentrating?" Hermione first asked.

"Pretty hard."

"Maybe too hard?"

"No, I don't think so."

"Were you sounding it out correctly?"

"Its Accio, Hermione. Its not hard to pronounce."

"The only other thing I can think of is more practice. Practice makes perfect."

"Yeah, I had Hermione help me with the verbal spell of it fourth year." Harry replied softly.

"Are you both ready for our Transfiguration test on Thursday?" Hermione asked quietly.

"Not quite, but I will be by Thursday. When's our Charms test?"

"Next Monday." They continued to talk and study until dinner. Harry and Ginny quickly ate before going to get ready for Quidditch practice.

"Hey, Hermione?" Jess asked while placing her cup down.

"Yeah, Jess?"

"Want to visit Hagrid again?"

"I'd love to but I have to finish up some homework."

"Oh, alright, its no big deal." They ate quietly, due to the fact Hermione was reading one of their textbooks. Once Jess was finished she got up. "I'll see you later Hermione."

Hermione looked up from her book. "Are we studying tonight?"

"I think I've had enough studying. I'll see you later on."

"Oh, alright." She returned back to her book.

Jess walked out of the hall and turned right at the fork in the hallway. Zabini watched her every move from the table to the door. When enough time has passed so he didn't look suspicious, Zabini walked out of the hall as well. He walked faster to cut her off at an eventual spot. A sick grin was on his face as he snuck around.

Occasionally, Jess would look around and behind her. She saw no one except Zabini. _He must be up to something,_ she thought. Jess shrugged it off and continued walking. Every time she saw him, Zabini would make it look as though this was natural. After she saw him three or four times, Zabini seemed to have wandered away, when in fact he had just hid himself better in the shadows. Farther and farther they walked away from everyone in the Great Hall. This was going to be a perfect opportunity for Zabini. He had been eyeballing her lately. His subtle hints to Draco that he should have taken advantage of his previous situation, living with her for the project, only showed that those were indeed his own motives. Not Draco's, Blasie's Blaise Zabini, the pureblood with a rich mother. He would get what he wanted, although he didn't expect this soon. Jess was always surrounded by one or more of her friends. This was the first opportunity he had, had to go in for the kill.

Draco smirked at the joke Theodore Nott had just finished. Looking over to where Zabini usually sat, he saw no one there. Quickly looking over at the Gryffindor table, he noticed Jess wasn't there either. Shrugging it off as a coincidence, he resumed talking to Theodore Nott as well as the others.

Zabini finally had got in front of her in the hall. Seizing the moment, he came into view. "Mudblood."

Jess stopped moving forward and glared at him. "Zabini."

"My, my, didn't expect to see you here." He casually took a couple steps towards her."

"Nor, did I expect to see you. What do you want?"

"That isn't the way to talk to a pureblood, let alone a pureblood from the Slytherin house."

"What's your point?"

"Aren't we edgy?"

"Edgy? More like disgusted by your presence."

"Now, now, that isn't very nice." Zabini had slowly closed the gap in-between them without her noticing.

"What do you want?"

"What? Did I say I wanted something?"

"Why otherwise would you seek me out?"

"Because," Zabini took one final step forward before leaning over and making his eyes level with hers. "What I want, is you."

"What?" Jess looked at him utterly confused, as he took advantage of her confusion and grabbed both of her wrists. Looking down at where his hands were she yelled. "What do you think you're doing!?"

"Taking what is rightfully mine." Zabini grinned as his face moved closer to hers.

Turning her head away, Jess screamed. "I won't let you get away with this!"

Zabini paused on his assault and looked at her. "No one is here to stop me."

Jess looked around and soon noticed he was right. There was no one around. Not even a single person. Keeping her composure as best she could, Jess didn't let her fear show. "I'm not scared of you."

"You should be." As his words left his mouth, he proceeded with coming closer until he heard something. Pulling away slightly he looked around for the source of the noise. The sounds of footsteps came close and Zabini quickly let go of her. "Until we meet again Anderson." And with that he quickly disappeared back into the shadows and back to the Slytherin house.

Jess stood still as a couple of second year Hufflepuff girls walked by giggling. She watched them until they were out of view, until she dropped to her knees. Looking at her palms she took a deep breath. That was too close. If those girls wouldn't have come, Zabini surely would have done something. The thought of him succeeding made shivers go down her spine. The most frightening thing about the incident was she didn't see it coming. She had no idea Zabini had even noticed her, let alone pursued her. The very thought made her feel dirty. After a few moments, Jess got up and went back to the common room. Gazing at the fire she sighed a sigh of relief. She was safe and that's what mattered. Zabini was no where near her. He couldn't get at her now. Jess let the warmth of the fire relax her before getting up and going to her room. Once there she quickly finished some homework and turned in early for the night.

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Alright thats chapter 17! I know it was quite a bit longer but I thought it fit best that way. PLEASE REVIEW! Thanks everyone and see you all next chapter! As always, please review! :D


	18. The ongoing breaking of the Fellowship

Thank you everyone for the reviews! I honestly didn't think I would have this many at this point but that encourages me all the more! So here is chapter eighteen, and as always I do not own Harry Potter.

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Zabini slinked back into his room. Once the door was shut he punched the wall, releasing his anger.

"Did your plan fail?" A familiar drawl came from one of the four poster beds in the room.

"What do you want, Draco?" Zabini asked while turning around and facing the four posters.

"Nothing Blaise, just curious if your plans fell through."

"Plans?"

"Yes plans." Standing up and brushing himself off, Draco faced him. "I take it you didn't succeed."

"What are you talking about?"

"Don't play dumb with me. You went after the mudblood, did you not?"

"No I didn't."

"Oh really? Was it just a coincidence that both the mudblood and you left the Great Hall early?"

Shocked that Draco had even noticed, Zabini remained calm. "The mudblood left?"

"So you didn't know?"

"Had no idea."

"Well, then what took you?"

"I went to the library to find some research for a class."

Knowing that Zabini wasn't a complete idiot like Crabbe and Goyle, the idea of Zabini in the library was plausible. Not likely, but wasn't a definite no. Shrugging it off Draco plopped back on his bed.

"I'm taking a shower." Going to his bed and grabbing his pajamas, Zabini left and headed for the showers.

Once the door closed Draco scoffed. "A likely story, have to keep a better watch on him."

In the morning Jess woke up and looked around her room. Seeing the time she decided to sleep a little longer and skip breakfast. A half an hour before her first class started, she got up and got ready. With ten minutes until class, she walked down to the common room and out to the hall. Arriving at Transfiguration the door was open and Jess walked in. Seeing Hermione and Harry she sat next to Hermione and smiled. "Hey."

"Decided to sleep in" Hermione questioned.

"Yeah, I was tired."

"You did go to bed rather early last night."

"I was tired… Where's Ron?" Looking around Jess spotted Ron with Seamus.

Harry followed her gaze. "He's avoiding us."

"He's not avoiding you Harry. He's avoiding me." Hermione commented while also looking over at Ron.

"I don't think its something to worry about. He did the same thing to Harry in fourth year, but he got over it. He probably just misunderstood something and got mad. So, instead of confronting the problem he's decided to pout and give you the silent treatment." Jess responded in the most helpful way without revealing why Ron was upset.

"I can't think of anything that would have upset him. Except that I didn't do his homework for him. But that's no reason to act the way he is. Is there something I missed?"

Harry and Jess looked at each other and then at Ron. They knew the reason why he was acting like this. They were the ones who brought it up. Although they thought they were just talking alone and Ron wasn't around listening, when in fact he was. Jess looked back at Harry. Looking back at her he nodded and said quietly. "We'll tell you after classes today."

Looking surprised that Jess and Harry knew but she didn't, Hermione simply nodded. Professor McGonagall then came into view.

The entire class period, which they had double Transfiguration today, they reviewed for the upcoming test. This was a big help to everyone. Once class was done the three of them headed to lunch. Their end of the table was pretty quiet until Ginny sat down next to Hermione.

"Why is everyone so quiet?" She asked while looking at them.

"Its just one of those days" Jess responded.

"Fair enough. Is Ron still being a prat?" From the silence and no one contradicting her statement, it was safe to say Ginny took that as a yes. "He'll be over it soon. Whatever it is."

Motioning to Ginny, Jess pointed at Hermione, who was busy reading out of her book for Transfiguration.

"I figured that much. Care to elaborate?"

Taking out her quill Jess wrote down the name Krum and held it up to Harry. She then pointed at Hermione and then back at herself, Jess made a kissing motion to Harry.

"Oh! That's what he's upset about?"

"Yep." Jess took the napkin and shredded it.

Ginny rolled her eyes at how stupid and childish her brother was being. "I'll have a word with him."

"Ginny, I think it's a better idea if Hermione does" Harry replied.

"Does she even know?"

"We're telling her after classes."

"Oh, alright. Are you sure that's why?"

"Positive."

"He really needs to grow up."

"We all know that." Jess said as she grabbed for a roll while glancing over at Ron.

Ron was happily chatting with Dean and Seamus, yet again. This seemed to be the usual people Ron would talk to when he was mad at either Hermione or Harry.

"I'll ask Dean about Ron next time we hang out." Ginny said as she also looked over. "Maybe he's calmed down a bit."

"One can hope." Jess smiled and then stood. "See you at dinner." Harry and Hermione stood as well and walked with Jess to Care for Magical Creatures. They all stood outside as Hagrid was bringing out the surprise he had promised them last Friday. Jess looked around at all of the students present. When she looked to her far left, she was unnerved to see none other than Zabini staring at her. She quickly looked away and unconsciously scooted a little closer to Harry.

Draco was watching Zabini from the corner of his eye. Just as he had suspected, he was looking at Anderson. Draco then casually glanced over at her, she seemed unsettled. So, she had noticed as well, which brought up the thought to his mind that she had, had a run in with Zabini. Curious as to what he did, Draco remained silent, knowing fully well that he couldn't ask her. For one, that would be extremely weird for them to have a remotely normal conversation. And two, it would show that he knew something, which she would then blame on him. And three, which was probably the reason that really stopped Draco, was that it would show that he cared. That would be dangerous. If anyone caught wind of him even taking notice, he would be in big trouble if his father found out…

Care for Magical Creatures seemed to drag on. As much as Jess liked Hagrid, she really wanted to leave as soon as possible. Because if she had Hagrid's class it meant she had class with Zabini. And Zabini was being particularly creepy. Jess fought back holding Harry's hand, knowing neither of them wanted people to know about them until they were sure there was a 'them'. She sighed, which got her a look from Harry. He had a questioning look on his face and wondered if she was alright. Jess gave him a warm smile, reassuring him she fine but just tired. Harry smiled back and returned his full attention to Hagrid.

Class eventually ended and Jess, Harry and Hermione headed to Defense Against the Dark Arts. They handed in their essays about a certain defensive spell used against a particular dark spell. Hermione beamed as she handed in her essay that was six inches longer than it needed to be. Clearly she did the extra credit that Slughorn had offered. He placed the parchments on his desk and decided to review the effects of the counter curse, which he did in a painfully slow manner. The only people who appreciated this were the uncertain few like Neville, and the people who had slacked off on the paper. Slughorn then spilt them up into pairs to work on the spell.

Jess paired herself with Hermione and Harry reluctantly became Neville's partner. Jess looked over and noticed Dean was paired with Seamus and Ron was with Lavender Brown. She looked surprised as Lavender giggled about something Ron had just said. Jess quickly looked back over to Hermione so she wouldn't notice Ron with Lavender. Luckily, Hermione didn't notice and they continued to test out the spell.

Harry looked over at Ron and Lavender a few times. The second time he looked over, Ron was grinning like a fool as Lavender laughed and placed her hand on Ron's arm to steady herself. He rolled his eyes and muttered while turning back to Neville. "What a flirt."

The rest of the lesson was mostly uneventful. After having the long boring lecture about the spell, Neville did not cause utter chaos and destruction. Harry was quite relieved by this. Class ended and Jess, Harry and Hermione walked out together. It was a quiet walk. Not an uncomfortable silence, thankfully. Hermione turned to Jess and spoke. "Its after classes. Are you two going to tell my why Ron is upset with me now?" She raised an eyebrow as Jess sighed. "That bad?"

"Well it isn't exactly pleasant, and extremely immature on his part. Don't think any of this is your fault." Jess replied while looking into her chocolate brown eyes.

"Jess please just tell me."

"Alright, well I was talking with Harry while walking to class. It was that day you and Ron were bickering. And we got to the topic of you and Ron, and you two just admitting you like each other. Then we thought of how Ron would freak out if he knew you might have kissed Krum back in fourth year. Ron was listening in on our conversation and then got mad, and that's why he's not talking to you, because he thinks you kissed Krum." Jess looked up from her feet to look at Hermione. Hopefully she wasn't mad. One look at her face and you could tell mad was an understatement, she was livid.

"Why were you even talking about that" she hissed.

"Face it Hermione! You and Ron like each other!"

Hermione didn't say anything. She was beyond mad. "Don't talk to me." She then looked at Harry. "Either of you." Hermione then stalked down the hall.

Jess looked to Harry and sighed. "Great we just lost both of them just because they are so thick headed."

Harry walked over and placed an arm around her shoulders. "They'll come around soon enough. We still have each other."

Jess looked up at him and smiled. "You're right. And now there's no reason to feel as bad about hiding it now."

Harry nodded, "And we still have Ginny."

"Thank goodness! I don't know what I'd do if she was mad at me too."

"Well, you'd just have to spend more time with me" he winked.

"Oh how dreadful!"

"Really?"

"No of course not." She smiled up at him.

He grinned widely. "I'm glad. So, would you like to join me on the pitch?"

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Alright everyone chapter eighteen is up! So not that you've red it you all know what to do. Yes, I mean review. I'd like to thank you all for supporting me thus far and hope that you continue to through your reviews. Until next time! As always, please review!


	19. Broomrides and Quidditch

Hello everyone! Well here we go with another chapter. I think this one is a bit longer. So enjoy! Also, I don't own Harry Potter.

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"Sure, I'll watch you practice."

"You could help you know."

"I could?"

"Well if you're up to it."

"Harry, I've only flown on a broom once or twice. I don't know what help I could be."

"We need to change that then. You could grab a beater bat and a bludger and hit it towards me. That way I can practice on dodging."

"You're sure about that? What if I accidentally hit you?"

"Don't worry about it Jess. I can handle it. It would be a great help if you'd do that for me."

"Well…" She bit her lip, uncertain of her capabilities to stay on the broom while smacking around a bludger. Jess looked up to see Harry giving her a cute face. Laughing, she gave in. "Oh alright! But just this once, I'm not promising anything though. I might fall off."

Harry grinned and shook his head. "Then I'll catch you."

Jess blushed while Harry laughed. "Okay…"

"You honestly think I'd let you fall?" He looked into her eyes.

"No Harry, I don't." She gave him a warm smile. "Let's go before it gets dark."

"My thoughts exactly. I'll meet you out on the pitch in fifteen minutes." He turned to leave.

"Wait! I don't have a broom" She said sheepishly.

"You can use one of the schools. I'll get one for you. I'd suggest putting on something a little warmer though."

"Good idea. I'll see you then." Harry smiled as he went to get her a broom. Jess went back to the Gryffindor house. She climbed up to the girl's dormitory and grabbed a warmer jacket. She was relieved to see no sign of Hermione. She was probably in the library avoiding her. Jess sighed as she buttoned up her jacket, while looking in the full length mirror. Her lush brown hair fell down in front of her, stopping a few inches below her chest. Her green eyes sparkled as she thought of the equivalent to a date she was just going to have with Harry. Even if she hadn't ridden on a broom a lot, Jess still had always wanted to learn how. Also, Jess really wanted to learn how to play Quidditch. It looked like a sport she'd actually play. Harry and Ron always looked so happy when they talked about it. Either that or they had their serious and determined faces on, which always made her laugh. Maybe she'd ask Ginny or Harry to teach her. Either way it would be a blast. Smiling contently in the mirror, Jess walked out of her room ad down to the pitch.

When she got out there, Harry was waiting for her, dressed in his scarlet and gold Quidditch sportswear. He waved as she approached. His broom was slung over one shoulder and the case that contained the Snitch, Quaffle, and Bludgers was lying in the grass. A broom lay across the lid of the box. Jess walked over and looked up at Harry. She smiled as she noticed his untidy black hair and emerald green eyes.

"Ready?" He asked while picking up the Cleansweep and handing it to her.

"As ready as I'll ever be." She looked uncertain but grabbed the broom from him.

Harry dug out of the box a beater's bat, a bludger and the golden snitch. He released the snitch as its golden wings began to flutter. Harry handed her the bat and threw the bludger in the air. It whizzed around nosily up in the air. "Just hit it towards me when it comes by you. You'll do fine." He reassured her with his hand on her shoulder.

"Alright, I'll do my best." Jess picked up the broom, straddled it and kicked off. She gripped onto the Cleansweep tightly as it accelerated forward rapidly into the air. The broom kept going higher and higher. Jess jerked on the handle to level off around the tops of the fifty foot tall hoops on the pitch. She leveled herself with the height of where the bludger was zooming around. "Well, that wasn't too bad." Jess ran a hand through her hair as the wind whipped it around. She then looked around for the raven haired boy that had gotten her into this situation. Sure enough about fifteen feet above the hoops was Harry, his eyes intently looking around for the snitch.

Jess smiled slightly and looked back down just in time to whack the bludger with her beater bat. The bludger darted off into another direction. "That was too close." She muttered to herself as she kept a close watch out for bludger.

About ten minutes later the bludger came close again. This time she smacked it with the bat into the direction Harry was heading. He heard the buzzing noise coming from the bludger and easily dodged it.

Jess continued to survey the area as she flew around. It was a wonderful feeling, being up in the air. She now understood why Harry loved it so much. It gave you a sense of freedom; it fed the rebellious streak everyone had deep down inside them. Nothing could stop her now, except for maybe a bludger. She noticed the bludger pounding down towards her a moment too late. It shattered the tip of the handle which she had been holding onto. The broom went tumbling forward, throwing Jess off in the process. She screamed as she went hurdling into the air, heading straight for the dirt. Jess fished around for her wand in her pockets. It would stop her fall if she could just find it!

Suddenly she stopped falling to the earth and noticed a strong pair of arms around her. Jess looked to her left to see Harry craning over his broom, his arms were securely holding onto her. One arm was placed under the curve of her knees, and the other was around her back at mid shoulder blade.

Her face was beet red while her heart was racing. She fumbled around for something to say but came up with nothing. Instead Jess was content with just looking at him, and wishing the blush on her now hot cheeks would go away.

Harry didn't look much different. His face also was red but he had a lopsided grin placed on his face. With much effort he pulled her onto the broom in front of him. He then placed an arm around her waist to secure her on the broom.

"I…" Was all Jess managed to say. She opened her mouth to speak again but nothing came out. Closing her mouth, Jess thought of what she was trying to say. After a few moments of awkward silence, Jess attempted to speak once more.

"Th-thanks, H-Harry." She stammered and felt the blush on her face deepen.

Harry let out a nervous laugh before saying anything. "No problem Jess. I told you I'd catch you if you fell."

She simply nodded and didn't know what else to say. It was a good thing no one else was around. She blushed again just thinking of everyone's reactions. It was as clear as if it actually was witnessed by her best friends. There Hermione would stand, looking on in disbelief while shaking her head. Ron would look confused, but deep down be secretly jealous of Harry having a girlfriend and not him. And then Ginny. She would be the worst of all. Since she had a crush on Harry the first few years she knew him. And somehow Jess still knew that Ginny still secretly liked him. That would be the hardest confession when Jess and Harry decided to go public with their relationship.

It was right as Jess began to think about the yelling that would ensue, that Harry broke her thoughts as he spoke. "You alright?" He tightened the arm around her waist a little as he headed down to the ground.

This got yet another blush out of Jess. "I'm… Fine, Harry. Re-really…"

Harry landed the broom softly. Carefully he lifted her off of the broom and set her feet on the pitch. "I'm sorry about the bludger." He said apologetically.

"Its alright Harry. It wasn't your fault. I should have been paying more attention. Don't worry about it, okay?" She looked up at him as a small smile crossed his face.

He reached out his hand to her hand that had been gripping onto the part of the broom that had splintered off. "How's your hand feel?"

Jess opened and closed her hands a few times before looking back up at him. "It hurts a bit, but I'm sure it'll go away soon enough. Its nothing I can't handle."

Harry ran one of his hands through his hair while looking in the direction that the Cleansweep had went flying. "Hopefully it didn't run into the Whomping Willow. It demolished my Nimbus 2000. I can't imagine that the Cleansweep stood as much of a chance as the Nimbus did."

Jess laughed and looked in the direction of the Whomping Willow." Just seeing the Whomping Willow would make the Cleansweep explode."

This comment got a laugh from Harry. "I'll get the bludger back in the box."

"What about the snitch?"

Harry dug into his pocket and held out the struggling snitch. "Already got it."

Jess stared at him with wide eyes. "How did you?!"

Harry just laughed. "Caught it a couple minutes before the bludger decided to attack you."

"Oh. So that whole thing would have been avoided." Her eyebrow was raised in curiosity as she waited for Harry to try and weasel his way out of the situation.

"Er…" He rubbed the back of his head nervously, while looking into her eyes. "I was coming over to tell you when you fell off the broom."

"Oh I see…" She placed her hands on her hips.

Harry fidgeted slightly under her intimidating gaze. "I mean it, I swear!" He said quickly.

Jess glared at him for a few seconds more before bursting out laughing. "Just kidding!"

"Oh whew!" He brushed the untidy bangs from his face. "For a second there I though I was in deep trouble."

"Nonsense! Just having a bit of fun teasing you." She gave him a wink.

Harry flushed and quickly shook it off. "Hey now that's not very nice."

"Who said I was always nice?"

"True…"

"Hey!" Jess smacked his arm playfully. "I am too always nice! Well okay not ALL the time, but I am a lot of the time."

"No one's perfect Jess." He smiled and looked up and noticed it was getting dark. "We better head back inside."

"Good idea, but what about the bludger?" She looked around for the fast moving ball.

"Here it comes now… Back up Jess." Harry motioned for her to move back.

Jess blinked and did as he said. He wasn't going to catch it with his bare hands was he? Just as she looked over, Jess heard a thud and Harry hit the ground with the bludger in his grasp, trying to break free.

"Jess, can you open the box?" He asked while standing up and holding onto the bludger tightly, while trying to maintain standing.

Jess ran over to the box and opened it. Harry hurried after her and dumped the bludger in the box before strapping it down.

"There" he said while placing the snitch in the box as well. "Did you happen to see where the bat landed?"

"Uh… No, I didn't."

"Oh, that's okay. We'll just have to look for it."

"Okay." Jess nodded and headed to the right side of the field. Harry took the left side. She looked around thoroughly until she found it next to the base of the middle hoop. "Found it!" She shouted while making her way to the middle of the field where the box was. Jess placed the bat inside and shut the box.

Harry then picked up the box. He paced over to his broom and lugged it over his shoulder. "Ready?"

She nodded and followed Harry off of the pitch to put away the Quidditch equipment. They then walked over to the Whomping Willow. Sure enough there on the ground was splintered wood. Harry ran a hand through his hair. "That tree keeps claiming the lives of brooms like its some food delicacy."

Jess laughed, "Or it might be some relative that its not on good terms with."

"True. Wait, did we just make the Whomping Willow seem human?"

"Actually the correct term is personified." Jess stated matter-of-factly. "And yes we did. But if you think about it, its not that farfetched. The Whomping Willow does seem to act like it had a mind of its own, trashing its limbs about and what not."

"Or it could just be possessed." Harry added as a side note.

"Or that. I don't think that's the case though. After all Dumbledore had the tree planted for a reason."

"Alright you win." He said with a grin.

"I didn't know this was a heated debate to be won."

"Me either." They both laughed. "We better get going. I didn't bring my invisibility cloak. So we will get caught if we're out here much longer."

"The famous Harry Potter being cautious? Why I never thought I'd live to see that day!"

Harry rolled his eyes and grabbed her arm. "Let's go."

Jess grinned and followed him. "Oh, you couldn't take a small joke?"

"No I can. But we really should head inside. Filch won't take the excuse that we lost track of time."

"Very true. Both he and Snape would revel in you getting caught up to mischief, if you can call this mischief."

"No, this really doesn't qualify as mischief." They got into the castle and began walking back to the Gryffindor house. Harry and Jess continued to chat along the way about anything and everything. Mainly, they were coming up with creative punishments Filch would give them if he caught them out after curfew. Luckily for them that wasn't for another hour or so. Passing by the Great Hall, Jess stopped to get Harry's attention.

He turned around and faced her. "Something wrong?"

"No, but we did miss dinner" she commented.

"Right; how about we go to the kitchens then?"

Jess grinned, "My thoughts exactly."

"Perfect." They both walked to the kitchens.

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Author's Note: Well chapter ninteen is up! I just wanted to let you guys all know that I might take a little with updating. I hope I won't but if I do you have been warned. The reason why is because I'm sort of stuck with where I am writing on this story. Therefore if I'm stuck I'm not really going to put up more until I get unstuck. I think I can manage to get unstuck. Just bare with me on this. As always Please Review!


	20. The Kitchens and Beyond!

Hello everyone! I'm back! Sorry about the delay, I know I usually don't wait about a week to update, but I have a few reasons as to why this happened. One, I'm a bit stuck on my writing at the moment. I'm sure all you writers out there have the same problem from time to time. Two, I've had a busy weekend, which included watching the movie Driving Lessons with Rupert Grint and Julie Walters (Mrs. Weasley) in it. I suggest you all see it, its pretty funny. And three, today's been pretty hectic to say the least. You see, I have two cats, and well today we for a favor for good friends of ours, have introduced their two cats into our living establishment. Safe to way that they are not enjoying it. But, hopefully since I have to cat-sit them all tomorrow so they don't kill each other tomorrow, I'll be able to write on the further events of this story. Also, please READ THER AUTHOR'S NOTE AT THE END! Its an important question I have for all of you! And without a further ado, I do not own Harry Potter, or soap operas... Yeah, you'll see why I mentioned that...

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When they arrived, Harry tickled the pear in the portrait and the door opened. As soon as both of them stepped in there was an onslaught of House Elves, begging to assist them. Both Harry and Jess looked out for one Elf in particular.

Suddenly a small Elf with bat like ears, a long nose and tennis ball sized green eyes appeared. He had on a collaboration of mismatched socks, and a couple hats on his head. How he got any work done without having to pick up a hat that fell to the ground every two minutes, Harry and Jess never knew. If possible the tennis ball sized eyes grew wider when the House Elf noticed who was standing before him. "Harry Potter sir!" He squeaked while running up to them. A hat lay abandoned on the floor that had fallen off his head.

"Hey Dobby!" Harry exclaimed with a warm smile.

This seemed to make Dobby even more ecstatic that Harry called him by his name. "A pleasure Harry Potter sir!" He bowed low to the ground, his nose touching the ground. He then returned his gaze back up and noticed Jess as well. Dobby's smile grew. "Miss Anderson! Dobby is so glad to see you both! What can Dobby get for you?"

Harry scanned the area for a certain food to jump out at him. He noticed some roasted chicken, and mashed potatoes, as well as some Yorkshire pudding and for desert, macaroons. "How about all of that over there?" He pointed to all the things just described. "For two." He added as an after note.

Dobby bobbed his head excitedly. "Yes, Harry Potter sir! Anything else Dobby can get you?" He looked at Jess. "Miss?"

"Oh no thanks Dobby. That's perfect. Thank you anyway." She smiled softly as Dobby buzzed around, getting everything ready. A group of House Elves held out platters of assorted goods for both of them to try. Jess kindly declined and said thank you anyways. Harry indulged in a couple samples. After a few he also kindly declined any more offers. Giving them the excuse that he wanted to save his appetite for the meal Dobby was preparing for them.

About ten minutes later Dobby presented them with a basket. "Here you are Harry Potter sir!"

"Thanks Dobby." Both of them retorted while turning away and going back to the Gryffindor common room.

When they got there, there were quite a few people in the common room. Harry suggested they go up to his room and eat. Nodding an agreement, Jess followed him up the stairs while holding onto the basket.

Harry opened the door to discover none of his roommates were in the room. "Oh good, you can just place the basket on the table."

"Alright." Jess placed the basket on the table and began taking out the contents of the basket. "Dobby sure packed this basket with everything we could possibly need." She pulled out silverware and set the table. Jess took out two goblets and sat them down. Once the bottoms of the goblets hit the table they instantly began to fill with pumpkin juice. "That's a spell I need to learn." She remarked with a look of surprise on her face.

Harry sat across the table from her. "That might be something only a House Elf can do though."

"Maybe, in any case its worth a shot." Jess sat down in the chair and reached out for her goblet. Tipping the glass against her lips, the cool orange liquid slid down her throat. She then tipped the glass back and set it on the table. Looking across the table Jess noticed Harry.

He smiled back at her as he dished up some of the Yorkshire pudding on his plate. Holding it out to her he asked. "Would you like this?"

"Yes, thanks." She grabbed the container from him, which resulted in their hands brushing up against each other. Jess flushed once more and concentrated really hard on transporting the Yorkshire pudding from the container to her plate.

Harry watched her with interest, knowing full well that she was just avoiding eye contact. "Hey" he said calmly. "Its alright."

Jess set the container down and looked at him. "I know." She affirmed him.

He smiled, unsure of what to do next. "So…"

"So, is this another date?" Jess asked bluntly.

"I suppose it is, isn't?"

"We couldn't wait until Thursday."

"It would seem so." He placed a hand over hers. "This seems to work out better when we don't have to worry about Ron and Hermione."

"Yeah, but I still don't like that they're mad at us."

"'Mione will come around soon enough. You'll see. Ron just naturally takes a little longer."

"I don't understand why he's mad at us though. We didn't go and possibly kiss Krum, unless you haven't told me something."

Harry looked disgusted by the comment. "No, the only person I've kissed was Cho last year. And it was the only time."

Jess laughed, "Well I'm glad you're not kissing Krum."

"That's both of us." This got a giggle from Jess. "Well its true!"

"I know its true, Harry. Just relax."

Harry nodded and decided to ask her a question. "Have you ever kissed someone?"

Jess looked up from her food and blushed. This received a chuckle from Harry. "Well, I don't think its funny."

"Just teasing; so who was it?" He asked, placing his hand under his chin.

"You're just as bad as Ginny, you know that? Always asking personal questions."

"Well to make it fair you did ask first."

"Yes, that's true."

"So, are you going to answer?"

Jess rolled her eyes playfully. "I guess I can tell you if you just _have_ to know."

Harry grinned, "So who was it?"

"A friend of mine back at home. Sadly I haven't heard from him in a couple years. I wonder how he's doing…"

"How old were you?"

"Um… Fourteen? Yeah, fourteen. It was the summer between third and fourth year."

"So you've had a boyfriend before?"

"Oh, no. Like you it was a one of those one time things. We were pretty good friends."

"Ah, so have you kissed any guys here?"

Jess thought about it for a moment. Then she remembered that she had in fact kissed a guy at Hogwarts. Actually they had kissed her. Jess fought down the blush that was threatening to appear. She knew that everyone and anyone wouldn't be happy about the guy she had kiss her in the hallway, that one day when tempers were at an all time high between her and the mentioned guy. The kiss had been a low blow that baffled Jess and left her thinking about why he had, when in his mind that was one of the worst things to do, to kiss a muggle-born witch, or in his eyes a mudblood, dirty blood. This is why it confused her all the more that had been kissed by none other than Draco Malfoy.

Harry was looking at her questioningly, "Jess?"

She snapped out of her thoughts and back to the conversation at hand. "Yeah?"

"You didn't answer the question."

"Oh sorry, was thinking about something else."

"Alright, so have you?"

"Repeat the question?"

"Have you ever kissed a guy from Hogwarts?"

"No. No, I have not." She replied rather quickly.

"Oh, just wondering. So, I'll be the first then." He grinned while grabbing her hand.

"When the time is right yes."

"And hopefully the last." With that Harry began eating once more, while his free hand held one of hers.

Jess smiled and resumed eating as well. Her mind wandered back to the incident she had with Malfoy. And for some odd reason now looking back on it, she didn't seem to mind as much that her sworn enemy, Slytherin, pureblood, filthy rich Draco Malfoy had kissed her.

She let the thought wander in her mind for a moment longer before thinking about more important things at hand. Mainly, the date she was on with Harry at present. She had to admit it was pleasant and fun just being with Harry. That hardly ever happened. Unless of course Ron or Hermione wad mad at either of them. Usually Hermione was never mad at either of them. So this rare once in a lifetime incident proved to be favoring Harry and Jess pursuing a now hidden romance. Ron on the other hand had, had more frequent incidents that we was pissed off at one of them. It usually was either Harry or Hermione. The sad thing was the only reason he really ever got mad at Hermione was his inability to admit to himself and Hermione that he liked her, even though it was obvious to everyone but Hermione and Ron. Ron's possessiveness really showed whenever the name Viktor Krum happened to come up in conversation. It was a good thing that was a rare event. Still, Jess pitied Ron and wished one of these days, preferably soon, that he would figure it out and ask Hermione out. Harry also wished this, since all this beating around the bush was useless. Jess' mind really seemed to wonder since she went from her and Harry to the long and agonizing saga that is the Ron and Hermione drama. Chuckling, Jess thought their story could in its own right be its own soap opera. _Now what would it be called,_ she mused. _As the page turns? Oh, clever, very clever, since Hermione was a complete bookworm, or perhaps the young and the clueless? _Since like previously stated, only Ron and Hermione were blind to their affections towards one another.

Jess must have been thinking for quite a while, because when she looked up she noticed Harry staring at her with a worried expression. "Uh… Did I miss something?" She asked while putting down the fork she had been idly stabbing a piece of chicken with while thinking.

"I think I should be the one asking that question." Harry wiped his napkin across his lips before continuing. "You went quiet for quite a while."

"Did I?"

He simply nodded, letting her continue speaking.

"Oh, I hadn't noticed. Nothing's wrong though! I was just thinking."

"About?"

"Us."

"Oh. What about us?"

"I really didn't get that far. I had started thinking about how convenient it is that both Ron and Hermione aren't speaking to us so we can keep this under wraps until we feel comfortable. Then I got side tracked with the idea of Ron and Hermione just admitting they liked each other. Followed by soap opera titles and then I noticed you looking at me." She finished, her cheeks red, again.

"Soap operas?" His left eyebrow was raised and he had a look of utter confusion placed over his entire face.

Jess almost choked on the pumpkin juice she was currently consuming. Coughing once, and another time for good measure she took a deep breath and continued speaking. "I was thinking of how easily you could turn Ron and Hermione's predicament into a soap opera."

Harry snorted as his head leaned forward and bowed. Jess laughed right along with him. Harry's forehead rested on his arm on the table, while he tried to control the otherwise uncontrollable laughter that didn't want to cease. After another moment he got the will power to lift his head and ask her. "Like Days of Our lives?"

"Yes!" Jess started to giggle uncontrollably again. "Or the Young and the Restless."

"Or As the World Turns" he added.

"Did you watch those as a kid?" She asked knowing ten years of his life had been spent living like a muggle.

"No, but my aunt Petunia loved them. If I remember correctly, As the World Turns was on at one. I only really saw that one or caught glimpses of it in the summer. The Young and the Restless was on at three so it would be on when I got home form school."

Jess giggled once again, because the concept of the infamous Harry Potter watching soap operas was extremely comical. After a few moments she regained enough of her composure to look up and notice Harry looking at her with a cocked eyebrow. "Sorry, its just the thought of _the_ Harry Potter watching something as ridiculous as soap operas struck me as funny."

"Oh, yes I suppose so. It really isn't the type of show a guy would watch." He smiled at her. "Unless they were either being tortured or very in touch with their emotions."

"I can see Mr. and Mrs. Dursley torturing you."

"True, but my aunt Petunia loved them, so she wouldn't see it as torture."

"Good point, my mom sometimes watched them. I leave pretty much right away."

Harry laughed, "Are they _that_ bad? I've never stuck around to figure it out myself."

"They're dreadful. But one about the trials and tribulations of Ron and Hermione's secret desires for once another would be quite amusing."

He snorted loudly. "How do you come up with this stuff?"

Jess gave him an innocent shrug. "Magic?"

He nodded, "Fair enough. It must have taken some powerful magic to create someone like you."

Jess blushed and looked down at her hand. She felt a hand place itself on once of hers. Slowly Jess lifted her head to see Harry smiling at her.

"That was a compliment, Jess." Harry reassured as he gave her hand a light squeeze.

"You're cute." She smiled and it was Harry's turn to blush.

"Thanks… But not as cute as you." Harry wasn't one to blush but when he did it was a deep shade of red.

Jess smiled at him. He was pretty adorable. Why had it taken her this long to notice? They had only been friends for five years now. The four of them, Ron and Hermione included, were inseparable when at Hogwarts, unless of course they were having a spat, which usually meant when Ron was having issues. Maybe why she hadn't noticed is that they almost never spent time alone, together. And now that they had, Jess was starting to notice she felt something more about Harry than just close friends.

"Jess?" Harry asked for what seemed like the tenth time tonight.

She jerked her head slightly once she had realized she had been staring off into space again. "I really am sorry. I usually don't space out like that when people are talking to me."

"Its fine Jess, don't worry about it. All I said is that its getting quite late and the guys will be coming up here soon." Harry hated to admit it that the night was slipping by them and it was a quarter after ten. He didn't want her to leave; he wanted to talk with her more. After having this time alone with her, Harry wished that they would have had moments like this in their previous years at Hogwarts. The only positive thing he could counter that thought with it that they were having that alone time now. He blinked when he heard Jess laughing.

"Looks like it got you too." She grinned and stood up.

Harry shook his head and focused his attention back to the present. "I guess so. Nasty little bugger." He stood up as well.

Jess pointed her wand at her plate. "Scouify." The plate instantly was clean and all of the remains that had been on the plate were no more. Harry did the same with all of the dishes he had dirtied. Jess began tacking all of the now clean dishes into the basket. "I can take this with me and drop it off at the kitchens first thing in the morning." She suggested while placing the baskets straps on her right shoulder.

"Alright, thanks Jess." Harry walked over to her and made sure everything was in the basket. He looked up at the clock and saw that it was twenty-three minutes after ten. "I hate to kick you out but people might ask questions."

"I know Harry. You're not making me feel bad." She smiled as she walked over to the door.

"You're sure?" He followed her and stopped three feet from the door.

"Positive." Jess looked at him. Her hand was on the doorknob.

"If it did, tell me."

"You know I would." She gave him a look that signaled she would have no problem telling him.

Harry laughed and ran a hand through his raven hair. "I know. You can be pretty vocal when needed."

Jess grinned, "Of course I can. I can be even when I don't need to be."

Harry smiled, "That's one thing I like about you."

Jess blushed a light shade of pink. "Its like I'm blushing constantly now when I'm around you! Stop it!" She lightly hit him on the arm and laughed.

Harry rolled his eyes. "I'll try harder not to in the future."

"Good."

He grinned and suddenly had the impulse to take a couple steps closer to her. Jess noticed and didn't say anything. She just smiled at him, thinking he was going to open the door for her. Harry stopped his pursuit and looked to see Jess' reaction. Well she didn't seem bothered so Harry leaned in and lightly placed a kiss on her cheek. "Goodnight."

Jess looked at him with widened eyes and then opened the door. "Night, Harry." She smiled and walked out and shut the door quietly. Jess walked silently to the girls dorms. When she got there she noticed Hermione was already in bed. Lavender and Parvati were still in the common room. Only then, when she knew that she was virtually alone did Jess sink down on her bed and let the blush that had threatened to make an appearance as she left Harry's room, surface. "He kissed me…" She whispered to herself. "The famous Harry Potter kissed me, one of my best friends. Well it was just a kiss on the cheek but still…" Jess closed her eyes for a moment as she thought back to it. She hadn't expected it, but she had enjoyed it. A smile came across her face as she got up and changed into her pajamas. Harry Potter, the Boy-Who-Lived, liked her. And well, Jess liked him back.

Hermione stirred in her sleep and rolled over, which gave Jess quite a fright. What if she had heard what she had said? Jess took a quick glance over to see that Hermione was completely comatose. A sigh of relief escaped her lips. Her interest in dating Harry would be a secret for another day. She got into her four poster bed. The last of her thought of the day being about a certain raven haired boy.

Harry was still awake in his room. He sat on the edge of his bed, dressed in pajama pants and a baggy grey t-shirt. He had his elbows on his knees and his head was leaned a bit forward, gazing at his hands clasped together. There was no noise in the room, only the occasional thoughts Harry would blurt out to the imaginary person in the room. "I don't know what to do." He mused while thinking. "I like Jess a lot, but I don't want to lead her down the path I have to take, the one that leads to possible death. I can't have her get hurt because of and the destiny that was bestowed on me at the age of one. I won't let her suffer because of me, but…" He grew silent again. The absences of noise making the room seem eerily quiet. "I…I don't know if I can do this alone. And now with Ron and Hermione mad, she's the only one to turn to." Harry thought for a moment. "I'll talk to her about it. That's what I'll do." He stood up triumphant, delaying the cause of worry yet again. As he stood Neville, Seamus, Dean and Ron piled into the room.

"Hey Harry. You missed an exciting round of exploding snap." Neville said as he walked over to the dresser to dig out his pajamas.

"Neville got covered in slime three times. That had to be a record." Dean commented while slipping out of his shirt.

Neville blushed and quickly changed and got into bed. He just wasn't good at a lot of things, Herbology yes, but nothing in the realm of games and sports. Unless there was a professional garden league he didn't know about. He'd have to check that out.

Harry glanced over at Ron, hoping he'd be over the incident by now. Ron was facing the opposite way in his bed as he slept. As if to give Harry the cold shoulder, while he was sleeping. Rolling his eyes for putting too much faith in Ron and thinking he might have matured over the summer, Harry got into his own bed and went to sleep.

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Author's Note: Alright and chapter twenty is up! Hold on tight people! I think Draco is in the next chapter. If he's not he's for sure in the next one. But I'm pretty sure he's in the next one. So YAY DRACO! Anyways... The reason I asked all of you to read this. In your reviews I would like you to answer a question. Here's the question. I was thinking, since SO many people died in Deathly Hallows, that I'm going to have one of them not die. So, I ask you all WHICH character should be spared of death? Also, I would like a logical explaination as to why you chose that character. Here's a list of people that died for reference, and if I forget someone, you can answer whoever you come up with. But it HAS to be someone who died in Deathly Hallows. And heres a list, Remus Lupin, Tonks, Severus Snape, Mad Eye Moody, Fred Weasley, Colin Creevey, Hedwig (yes she counts even if she's only an owl). So people I ask you one more IMPORTANT favor! And that is to REVIEW! Otherwise I have no idea what your opinion on my question is! Thanks everyone and see you next chapter!


	21. Flashbacks and DADA professors

Happy Fourth of July to everyone! I haven't been able to update the last couple days because, one, I didn't have any of this typed up. And two, when I did, I didn't have internet. So, now here it is! I realized that I should probably clear things up with everyone, that this dating relationship between Harry and Jess, WILL end. Not for some time yet, but it will, I promise! So just stick with me folks! Also, I remember saying that Draco was to be in this chapter, well he is a little bit, not a whole lot. But the next chapter is the chapter I was thinking of when I said Draco would have a big part in it. So its almost here! Lucky for all you folks I already have it typed up as well! Hopefully I'll proof read it and it will be up in a few days. There is an author's note at the end of the chapter so you all know. Without further delay, I do not own Harry Potter.

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Wednesday morning proved to be an unpleasant morning as Jess got up. She headed for the shower only to be beaten there by Hermione, who wouldn't say a word to her. Jess waited in their room for someone to come out of the shower. It was just her luck that every single one of the girl's showers was being used at the moment. "I should have taken one last night." She muttered to herself as Lavender came out.

"Hey Jess." She said while walking over to the mirror to brush her hair.

"Hey Lav." Jess stood and began walking to the bathroom, when she remembered something. "Hey Lavender?"

Lavender turned and looked at her. "Yeah?"

"I was just wondering are you and Ron dating?"

Lavender blushed and giggled annoyingly. "No, not yet."

"Not yet?"

She just smiled at Jess and then turned back to the mirror. "He hasn't asked me out yet."

"Oh. How is Ron doing?"

"He's fine. It's a lot of fun spending more time with him, what with his golden troop not hogging him as much lately."

"I see… Well, I'm off to the shower." Jess walked in and spotted the nearest empty shower. She hopped in, pulled the curtain and placed her towel on the hook before turning on the water. Then and only then did she speak to herself out loud. "Hogging him? Its called he chooses to hang out with us. Whatever." She muttered as she lathered the shampoo in her hair. When she finished and dressed, Jess walked back in their room and saw that Lavender was still making herself pretty in the mirror. She bit back a laugh as she combed her hair as Lavender applied a little too much blush. "Hermione's got her beat any day." She muttered to herself. Both Lavender and Parvati proceeded to apply a bit too much make up as Jess finished combing her hair. Jess then put on some lotion and was set to go. She figured she didn't need to apply loads and loads of make up at the age of sixteen. She had a natural beauty to her that even if she did decide to put make up on, she wouldn't need much. Grabbing her books for her first two classes, Jess went off.

Arithmancy was even more stressful than usual. She and Hermione usually solved the problems together, but with Hermione not speaking to her, Jess figured them out by herself. The class seemed to drag on forever as Jess filled out a worksheet. She caught a glimpse of Hermione with her nose in the book as usual. Hermione felt a pair of eyes looking at her and turned around. Jess quietly busied herself with what she was supposed to be doing. Finally the bell ran and Jess was one of the first people out the door. She found herself rushing to Potions. Wait, rushing to Potions? That was wrong on so many levels Jess couldn't comprehend them all by the time she got down to the dungeons.

Harry was there waiting for her. A grin crossed over his face as she approached and he walked over to her. "How was Arithmancy?"

"Dreadful, I have it with Hermione and we usually work stuff out together. Its safe to say, that didn't happen today."

"Divination wasn't any better. You know how Trelawney is. She predicted my untimely death again. Also the fact that I'm partners with Ron in that class. He spent half of the time ogling at Lavender."

"I can imagine. I was watching her and Parvati put on too much make up this morning. I think they need some advice on how much is enough."

Harry chuckled, "Yes I think so. Does she usually put on that much?"

"No, I think she's trying to get Ron's attention. I asked her if they were dating and she said 'not yet'."

Harry raised an eyebrow. "I see…"

Zabini walked down to the dungeons with three minutes to spare. He grinned when he noticed Jess, but frowned when he saw Wonder Boy, right next to her. So it was down to those two. _Easy enough, _he thought as he noticed Draco walk down the stairs with Crabbe and Goyle.

Draco noticed Zabini and was glad that he wasn't trying to get it up with the mudblood. Not that he cared about her, but that was pretty rude. He shook his head just as other thoughts were about to enter as he noticed just Harry and Jess together. The weasel was in the corner chatting with Seamus, Dean, Neville and Lavender. Granger was busy talking to Parvati. Draco snorted as he thought of why the inseparable group was now divided into three pieces. _Bet it was the weasel, _he mused to himself as Snape walked up and opened the door.

Harry and Jess decided to be partners, as Parvati and Hermione were, and Lavender and Ron were. Hermione concentrated fully on the task at hand as Ron and Lavender laughed and talked about things that had nothing to do with Potions.

"Ten points from Gryffindor." Snape barked as he walked by. "Mr. Weasley, Miss. Brown, I would focus on your potion, unless you want more points taken from your house."

Ron stopped grinning like an idiot and got to work. Hermione smirked from where she was and for once was glad Snape was there to shut Ron up. Snape continued walking about the room mutely. Only occasionally stopping and making snide comments about how the potion was not supposed to be electric blue and then docking off points if they were from Gryffindor. He gave a satisfactory nod to Draco and his partner Crabbe. Draco smirked and went back to work. Crabbe did the simplest of tasks. He seemed to do the best at things that required being crushed, smashed or mangled.

It was five minutes until class ended and Jess placed the last ingredient in the potion as Harry stirred it counter clockwise. At two minutes to the end of class, Jess placed a vile of their potion with her and Harry's name on it on Snape's desk. Harry cleaned up and finished just as the bell rang.

"That was close." He commented as they walked out to Herbology.

"Too close for my tastes." Jess responded as she walked beside him.

Harry nodded and stopped walking. He waited for Jess to turn around and notice. Jess walked about five more feet before looking back and walking over to where he stood. "Something wrong, Harry?" She asked, looking up at him.

"No… Well, maybe. I just wanted to talk to you about something." He looked a bit nervous and anxious.

Jess looked at her watch and noticed they still had about five minutes until class started. "Alright, what's up?"

"You know that the war is coming closer right?"

Jess nodded, "Yes Harry."

"Well, I have a meeting with Dumbledore on Friday, and it sounds pretty important. He wanted to wait until we were done with the parenting project before he talked to me. And I just don't want to have to drag you into this, but I still want to be with you."

"Oh… Well, Harry, I understand, but you know that whether of not we were just friends or more I would still pester you and help you no matter what, even if you didn't want me to."

He sighed, "I know, but I just want you to be careful. I don't know how long Ron and Hermione are going to be like this. I can't lose you."

Jess smiled at him and gave him a big hug. "You won't."

Harry smiled and held her. "Thanks Jess. I want this to work out." He pulled away to look into her eyes. "I really do."

"I know, so do I. It will Harry, trust me."

"I do."

"Are you going to have to keep your meeting a secret?"

"Probably."

Jess rolled her eyes. "Great."

Harry laughed and started walking again to Herbology. "Hey, don't get mad at me! Blame Dumbledore."

Jess laughed and gave his hand a light squeeze. "I will." They proceeded to double Herbology since professor Sprout had been ill the day before. Lucky for her Slughorn hadn't had a class at that hour and was able to swap class times with her. The door to greenhouse three was already unlocked when Jess and Harry approached the door. Jess opened it and walked in quickly, wanting to be on time. They both assumed their normal places around the table as professor Sprout came into view.

"Alright class may I, have your attention?" Professor Sprout looked around the room to see the only people paying her any attention were the sixth year Hufflepuff's and Hermione. "Attention!" She wrapped her wand against the pot in front of her. Everyone looked in her direction after a minute or so of the annoying clinking noise against the pot. "Glad you all decided to pay attention." The students looked at professor Sprout curiously. She seemed to be softer in volume than she usually was. "Now that I have your attention, listen carefully. Today we will be planting seeds of the Fanged Geranium. For the next six weeks we will be tending and pruning these plants. You will each be planting two plants, with two other people. You will need to wear gloves because, although they do not have fangs yet, the coating of their seeds is a skin irritant. Now pair off into groups of three and begin."

Ron and Lavender were instantly attached to the hip. They dragged Dean Thomas into their group as well. Hermione and Parvati were grouped together again. They had Seamus Finnegan join them, moments later.

Jess walked up to Neville who was standing by himself. "Hey Neville."

"Oh, hey Jess." He replied, "Did you need something?"

"I was wondering if you would like to partner with Harry and me."

Neville's face broke out into a grin. "I'd love to! That is if you're sure you want to be partners with me."

"Of course Neville! If we didn't, I wouldn't have asked." This seemed to make Neville grin all the more as he walked over to Harry with Jess.

"Hey Neville." Harry said once Neville was over. "I got the pots already."

"Great! Now we need the protective gloves, the soil and the seeds. I'll go get the soil." He said while walking off.

"I'll get the gloves and the seeds from professor Sprout." Jess walked over to the glove box and grabbed three pairs. She then slipped on a pair and went over to professor Sprout who handed her six seeds.

"Three in each pot dear, so we can make sure that at least one of them will germinate. And make sure you keep your gloves on the entire time." Professor Sprout rattled off before Jess was able to walk back to her group. Shortly after Neville came back with the soil.

"The directions say to drench the soil before placing it in the pot." Neville sat down the soil in its container.

"I'll do it." Harry offered while pulling out his wand and pointing it at the soil. "Aquamenti." A small stream of water protruded from his wand. After three minutes the soil was completely drenched. Neville then began placing the soil into the pots. Once he was done he took a pair of gloves from Jess.

Harry was already slipping his gloves on when Neville asked. "How many seeds do we have Jess?"

"She gave me six, so three for each pot." She looked in her book to see if there were any further instructions. "It says here that you need to separate them in the soil. I'll take three and you two can handle the other pot." Jess handed Neville half of the seeds and headed off to work. It wasn't as complicated as she thought it would be, separating the seeds while being in the same pot. Her group got done with fifteen minutes to spare. Both Jess and Harry decided to head up back to the Gryffindor tower.

"You know, Neville isn't bad when it comes to Herbology." Jess commented as they were walking up to the portrait of the Fat Lady. She recited the password and the picture swung open.

"No, he's actually really good at it. I'd rather have him as a partner in that class than most of the people there." Harry replied as he sat down on one of the plushy red chairs.

Jess sat in one next to him. "I'm glad he's found his subject. For a while I was worried about him."

"Looks like he didn't need any worrying about." He smiled and opened his book. "Did you catch what the assignment was?"

"Yeah, we're supposed to start researching the history of the Fanged Geranium. Ten inches to be handed to her on Friday."

"We don't even have Herbology on Friday." He said while skimming the page on the Fanged Geranium.

"She gave us until the end of classes. At least its not like Snape's class and he wants them at noon."

"True, but its still annoying."

"Harry, that's their job."

"To be annoying?"

"Or well they act like it at least. Well, some of them do."

"Like Snape."

This caused Jess to laugh. "Yes, like Snape."

"I bet he give the Slytherin's an extension." Harry replied bitterly.

"It just proves who the better of the bunch is."

"How do you figure?"

"Well, if we can get it done in less time and still do just as well or in some cases better than them. It shows that we are the superior of the two houses."

"I like your logic." He smiled and reached out to touch her hand.

Jess blushed and smiled. "It's what I'm known for."

He grinned and closed his book while standing up. "You're known for more than just your knowledge. Don't underestimate yourself."

Jess looked up at him with a soft smile on her face. "I won't."

"Good." Harry smiled back at her. "I need to go though. I signed up for the pitch at four and I still need to change."

"Oh, alright, will you be done in time for dinner?"

"Yeah, practice ends at six. I just hope it goes well. With Ron upset, I'm not sure how well its going to go."

Jess stood up as well and paced over to him. "We both know Ron and how much he likes Quidditch. I think he can put his differences aside for two hours."

"I hope you're right. It not, he's the only Keeper we have, so he's pretty important for Angelina, Alicia and Ginny."

"Ah, see there you proved my point."

He tilted his head to the side ever so slightly. "What?"

"If Ron acts up, Ginny is not afraid to smack him. You know how Ginny can get when she's mad."

Harry let out a laugh. "You're right. I'll see you at dinner then." He began walking up to the boy's dormitory to get his broom and Quidditch robes.

Jess watched him leave before going up to her dorm and putting her books away. She then looked at her watch to see that all of the classes would be let out in about a minute. "Hmm, Rachel has Charms now. Hopefully I can catch her in the hall. Its been so long since I've seen her. I better go quickly though." Jess walked down, back to the common room and then out the door to go in search of her friend.

About halfway to her destination, that was professor Flitwick's room, Jess noticed a group of students walking her way. "Slytherins." She muttered to herself as they passed. Two pairs of eyes stuck out to her in the crowd. One of them a deep brown in color and the other a crystal blue. The first pair belonged to Blaise Zabini. As she looked into his eyes all she saw was a burning desire and lust laced together. No doubt she figured that it was for her. She could only imagine what his sick mind had in store for her it he ever caught her alone again. For once in her life, Jess was glad that there were a bunch of other Slytherin's around. Zabini wouldn't try anything with so many people around for fear that one of the would get the wrong idea and think that Zabini actually liked her and wasn't just trying to get a 'taste' of what she was like, and then cast her away like the trash he truly thought she was when he was done. Another reason why he wouldn't is incase one of the Slytherin's in the crowd didn't like Zabini or otherwise thought it was cruel and tell one of the professors. No, Jess was safe for now, and for that she was grateful.

The next pair of eyes Jess found herself looking at confused her as to why she was even looking. The second pair belonged to none other than Draco Malfoy. Malfoy, the Slytherin she had hated ever since they first met in first year. What she found in his eyes confused her. Though the ferret wasn't looking at her, his eyes were still hard, but more in a way of warning. And the recipient seemed to be Zabini. _He must have done something to piss him off,_ she mused to herself quietly as she passed. Probably questioned his authority, or outdid him in some task, like who could be the biggest jerk, this thought had Jess biting her lip to stifle back the laughter that wanted to come. Jess then continued down the hall until she spotted Rachel's familiar voice. She grinned as she watched Rachel talk lively with Padma Patil. Padma laughed at whatever she was saying then noticed Jess standing there.

"Hey, isn't that Jessica?" Padma asked while pointing her out to Rachel.

A grin broke out on Rachel's face as she noticed one of her best friends. Quickly she abandoned Padma and jogged over to Jess. "'Ello!" They gave each other a hug before continuing.

"It seems like it's been ages since I've seen you!" Jess remarked as they resumed walking down the hall in the direction Jess had been going.

"Well that's because we haven't really." Rachel replied back.

"That project took up any free time we had! At least now that its over we can resume our normal lives, although I enjoyed taking care of Madison. Malfoy on the other hand, I could have done without."

"I still can't believe you spent six weeks of your life rooming with him."

"Oh don't remind me! I'd rather not relive the experience."

"Sorry." Rachel grinned sheepishly.

"So how was working with Ernie?"

"Not too bad, although he is a bit full of himself. That got annoying."

"He couldn't have been as bad as Malfoy. He only thinks about himself." They both laughed at this until Rachel spoke again.

"No, no where near as bad as Malfoy. But you should have seen Ernie while we were at Hogsmeade."

Jess looked over at Rachel when she had said that. "Why, what did he do?"

"He was using our baby as a way to get girls interested in him."

Jess rolled her eyes. "That has to be one of the oldest tricks in the book… So, how are classes going?"

"Pretty good, although Slughorn is piling on the work in Defense Against the Dark Arts. For not originally being a professor in that class he's sure caught on quickly, meaning more homework for us."

"Can you imagine Snape teaching it instead? I mean the one time he subbed back in third year he forgot the lesson entirely and skipped to Werewolves. Hoping of course that one of us would catch on that professor Lupin was a werewolf."

"Snape subbed Defense Against the Dark Arts?"

"Might have been a day when Gryffindor's had the class and Ravenclaw's didn't. But yes he did. He came in all quietly and eerily, like he normally does. He began talking about how professor Lupin hadn't 'left any record of the topics we have covered so far.' Harry was ten minutes late because Oliver wouldn't shut up, so Snape gave him crap about that, as well as giving Hermione crap for talking out of turn. He then went to the last chapter of the book and told us to turn to page three-hundred and ninety-four. Ron ended up getting a detention for sticking up for Hermione when Snape asked the class how we can distinguish between a werewolf and a true wolf. Hermione was the only one who knew the answer and was docked five points from Gryffindor for being 'an insufferable know-it-all.' Safe to say the class was not enjoyable. He wanted us to turn into him by the coming Monday a two rolls of parchment essay on ways to recognize and kill werewolves."

Rachel looked at Jess for a moment before speaking. "Snape has always been such a jerk! I wonder what had made him in the extra sour mood that day."

"No idea, but he sure did like to rip on professor Lupin, which of course isn't called for. He's still the best Defense Against the Dark Arts teacher we've ever had."

"What happened to him anyway? Has anyone seen him?"

Jess let out a sigh before beginning her speech about the last time she saw Lupin. "Yes I've seen him since the… incident." Jess had been there along side Harry, Ron and Hermione when Lupin had transformed into a werewolf and the truth was revealed about Sirius Black and Peter Pettigrew. As for the second time through by the help of the time turner, Jess had not joined Harry and Hermione. She had stayed in the hospital wing with Ron while nursing her own wounds. Jess had received a rather hard blow to her abdomen by the Whomping Willow, as well as other scratches and bruises.

"The incident? You mean the whole thing that happened that one night in third year?"

"The thing I told you to never tell anybody."

"Yeah that's what I thought. And don't worry, I haven't told anyone."

Jess rewarded Rachel's kept promise with a smile. "Well, I told you what happened last year didn't I?"

"Which event?" Rachel replied with a teasing grin. "Honestly, you get to go on all these adventures without me!"

"Well I haven't gone on all of them. Like the one second year, and the second part of the one, third year. Oh and that one first year. I wasn't very close friends with them yet. More like we knew each other because we had the same classes and we talked a little here and there outside of class."

"When did you guys get close?"

"It was pretty much in the summer between first and second year with Hermione, writing back and forth, and then right away second year with Harry and Ron. I mean right away too. As soon as we were on the train going to school, something clicked and we've been inseparable since."

"So you helped them figure out stuff about the Basilisk and the Polyjuice potion, right?"

"Yeah, after Hermione had an accident with her Polyjuice, I stayed with her and the boys took care of it. That's the same year I became close with Ginny, although, she hid the diary from everyone."

"They seem really nice, although Ron seems to spas out occasionally."

Jess laughed at her comment. "Yes, he does spas sometimes. That's just who he is though. Maybe sometime over the summer we could hang out with them."

"Yeah that would be great!" Rachel smiled as they stopped. "Wait, where are we going?"

Jesses stopped and noticed they were past the Great Hall and were heading in the direction of the room they had History of Magic in. "No idea. The only thing I was thinking about was catching up to you after your class."

"Don't you have class at that time too?"

"Yeah, but we got out early."

"Oh, that makes sense… So, do you maybe want to go outside? It seems like it's a nice day out."

"Sure! But don't you want to put your books away first?"

Rachel laughed, "Probably a good idea. I'll meet you outside in fifteen minutes. Where should we meet up?"

"How about the Quidditch pitch? I'll just watch our team practice while I wait for you."

"Oh okay. Hey, how is Katie?"

"I think she's okay, but she won't be playing for a while. Stupid Slytherins, if they'd just play fair then Katie would be alright. I guess it's a lucky break for Ginny though. She's wanted to play on the team ever since she got to last year when Umbridge suspended Harry from Quidditch."

"Umbridge was the worst Defense Against the Dark Arts teacher ever. I think a first year could teach the class better than her."

"Ouch, Rachel that's harsh."

"But its true!"

"I wasn't denying that." She smiled as Rachel grinned.

"Seriously though, I hope she never comes within five hundred feet of Hogwarts for the rest of her life."

"I think that's a bit too close. Personally I don't think she should be allowed within three miles of the grounds."

"And you said I was harsh?" Rachel's right eyebrow rose as she looked at Jess quizzically.

"Hey, she had it coming. But I'm going to head down to the pitch. See ya soon."

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Author's Note: Yay chapter 21 is up! I've been busy the last couple days, it being the fourth of july and all. Well, alright so its almost two in the morning on July 5th. Close enough. With traffic and everything with the fair I went to, I got home after midnight. Waiting in a parking ramp for an hour is not fun people, and don't let anyone tell you different. Thursday was spent celebrating my Dean's list acheivement! I just found it in the mail like yesterday even though it was sent out a while ago... Oh well. Well, as I said, there WILL be Draco in the next chapter! Yay! I miss him too you guys, trust me. Oh, and I hope you all enjoyed the Prisoner of Azkaban reference. That's always been one of my favorite things Snape has said. Also! Before I forget, it seems like its a tough call between Snape and Fred, as to who should win. If you haven't voted yet, feel free to still do so! And please always, do REVIEW! So, until chapter twenty-two! As always, PLEASE REVIEW! :) - Jess


	22. Reflections and Revelations

Hello everyone and welcome to chapter twenty-two! Yes, the long awaited chapter in which Draco makes a rather big appearance in! Yay! After this chapter though, I regret to say, that he kinda goes away for a while... BUT he has some important other stuff later on so he WILL be coming back eventually! Okay, so I know most of my audience here has read the seventh book. Well, do you all remember the boring middle extended camping trip that seemed to drag on? Well, folks this is that part of this story. So, it will get better! I'll stop rambling now so you can read the Draco filled chapter. But, I must mention as always, I do not own Harry Potter.

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Jess made her way to the Quidditch pitch with no more run-ins. When she arrived, Jess sat in the stands and watched the Gryffindor team practice. Upon further inspection it seemed like Jess had been right. Even though Ron was having a spat with Harry, he wasn't letting it affect his practice. A small smile crossed Jess' lips. At least Harry would have a semi-pleasant practice.

Ron had just blocked the quaffle from going into the center ring that had been thrown by Alicia Spinnet. He tossed it back to the center field where Ginny got her hands on the quaffle. Finally after about ten minutes, Ginny got the quaffle passed Ron and into the left hoop. Ron threw the quaffle away, frustrated.

Harry was meanwhile above the main action by about thirty feet, looking for the golden snitch. Since this was just a practice, Harry being captain of the team, would look down periodically to see how the rest of the team was doing. After watching Ginny score, he let a small smile show and resumed looking for the snitch.

Five minutes later Jess felt someone slide in next to her. She looked over to see it was Rachel, much to her relief. "Something wrong?" Rachel asked in response to Jess' sudden intake of a sharp inhale.

"No, no, nothings wrong." Jess assured while looking back to the pitch.

"They're really good." Rachel commented as she followed Jess' gaze to the pitch.

"Yeah they are. I think Harry really has picked the best replacement for Katie."

"Is that Ginny Weasley?"

"The one and only." Jess grinned while watching Ginny fake out Ron again.

"She seems to be having too much fun, psyching out her brother."

"Ah, its all in good fun. Ginny knows how much of a prat Ron's been lately and is giving him a taste of his own medicine."

"What's Ron up to now?"

"A glitch has occured in the budding forbidden romance between him and Hermione."

"Oh, wait those two are together?"

Jess laughed, "No, they seem to be the only two who don't realize their feelings for one another."

"Ooh… How long has that been going on?"

Jess took a minute to think her answer over carefully. "Since the beginning of time."

This caused Rachel to laugh. "That long, huh?"

"Mhm, I'm afraid so."

"Well, what's the problem this time?"

"Do you remember Krum?"

"You mean Viktor Krum?"

"Yes, that's the one."

"Yeah, didn't he go to the Yule Ball with Hermione?"

"Mhm, and we all think there might have been a chance that they kissed. Ron overheard Harry and me talking about it. He's convinced it did happen and is making a huge deal out of it."

"Ooh!"

"Yeah… We told Hermione and she's upset with us as well."

"Oh, bummer. They need to grow up!"

"No kidding. The only comforting thought is that we know Hermione will come to her senses soon."

"When did this happen?"

"Yesterday."

"Hopefully she'll be fine come the weekend."

"One can only hope. But Ron is another story." Jess sighed while running a hand through her hair.

"Hey, you have me if you want to talk you know?" Rachel placed a hand on her shoulder.

"Thanks Rach." Jess smiled and gave her a big hug.

"Oi!" Came a voice from the pitch that was quickly approaching. Jess looked up to see it was Ginny.

"Gin!" Jess exclaimed as Ginny reached the stands and they hugged.

"I've been calling for you for the last three minutes!" The redhead exclaimed.

Jess laughed lightly. "Sorry, Gin."

Ginny smiled, "Its alright. Harry was just giving us a ten minute break." She looked down to see Rachel. "Who's this?"

"This is Rachel. She's my best friend from back home." Jess explained, "Rachel this is Ginny."

"Ginny Weasley." Ginny held out her hand for a shake. Rachel accepted and they shook hands. "So, I finally get to meet her! Jess had told me loads about you."

"Likewise" Rachel smiled.

"Hey when's our next Hogsmeade weekend?" Ginny asked Jess.

"Its not this weekend but the next one, the one right before Halloween."

"We should hang out. Us three girls I mean. Hopefully Hermione will join us by that point." Ginny suggested while re-doing her ponytail.

"That would be great! What do you think Rach?"

Rachel smiled, "Sounds fantastic! When should we meet up?"

"How about noon? I know I'd like to spend the morning with Dean. And Jess will want to spend time with her mystery man." Ginny gave Jess a wink.

Her cheeks turned a light shade of pink as she elbowed Ginny. "That's enough Gin."

Rachel tilted her head to the left ever so slightly. "Mystery man?"

"Yeah, some guy asked her out to Hogsmeade and she won't tell me who." Ginny replied in an annoyed tone.

"You two are still talking about that?" A masculine voice said as he came up. His green eyes locked on with Jess' for a moment before looking at Ginny.

"Yes, Harry we still are! Has she told you anything about it?" The redheaded girl looked at the raven haired boy.

"Like I'd know? Gin, you'd be the first person to know." He replied, grinning inside because he was the 'mystery man.'

Ginny nodded and looked back at Jess. "Fine you win for now. But I'll find out soon!"

Jess laughed, "You keep telling yourself that." Ginny huffed in annoyance.

"So what brings you two girls out here" Harry asked.

"It was just something to do outside" Jess replied.

Harry bit back a laugh. "And who is this with you?" He asked, motioning to Rachel.

"This is Rachel, my best friend from back home. Rachel this is…" She was cut off by Rachel.

"I know who _he_ is Jess." Rachel retorted and laughed.

"Well its nice to meet you" Harry replied.

"Likewise."

"Well, we better get back to practice. I'll see you at dinner Jess, again, nice meeting you Rachel." Harry placed a hand on Ginny's shoulder and began to lead her back to the pitch. "Come on Ginny."

Ginny looked back at Jess and Rachel. "See ya later Jess, and nice meeting you Rachel!" They walked back over to the pitch and resumed practice.

"They both seem nice." Rachel replied when they were gone.

"Of course they are! You'll have to meet Ron and Hermione once this current issue is over." Jess replied, hoping that would be soon.

"Sure, hey lets go take a walk."

"Good idea." Jess stood and let Rachel lead the way out of the Quidditch arena and back to the grounds.

Meanwhile a certain Slytherin boy was fighting his inner demons. A few minutes after Jess had walked by, by herself, Draco reached the Slytherin house. A fellow Slytherin said the password and the students all paraded in. Some went up to their rooms, others decided to stay in the common room. Draco was one of those that stayed in the common room. He sat on the couch over-dramatically and put his feet up. He looked like a king at his throne. After all he wasn't called the Prince of Slytherin for nothing.

But as Draco sat luxuriously on the couch, he paid no attention to those in the room. No, his thoughts weren't even on a single Slytherin throughout the history of Hogwarts. To his dismay all of his thoughts at present were all centered on one particular brunette girl. And not just any girl, a girl Draco was taught throughout his upbringing to hate. To loathe, detest, despise and wish she was dead. Not because of her looks or her attitude, but because of something she had no control over, her blood. It sounded pretty fickle when put in that way. All it boiled down to was blood. But this was Draco Malfoy. He being the sole heir to the richest and most powerful pureblood wizarding family. In the Malfoy's house, blood was everything.

Not blood type, but whether or not your family had a wizarding background, something that all members of Draco's family had been since the beginning of time. This is why it was so important. With wizard blood in your family, it showed that you were strong and true to wizard tradition. Not many families were still pureblood. A few of the last pureblood wizarding families were the Malfoy's, the Black's, from which Draco's mother is from, and the Weasley's. But the Weasley's in their own right were just as bad as muggle-born witches and wizards. The Weasley's were blood-traitors. A fine example of this was Arthur Weasley, Ron and Ginny's dad. Arthur Weasley loved the muggle world and strived to learn all he could about the 'fascinating' in his term, world. The very thought made all other pureblood families cringe and want to vomit. And this is how Draco was brought up to think. It was safe to say he embraced it whole-heartedly. That was apparent in how he treated two muggle-born witches, Hermione Granger and Jessica Anderson. The thought of the second mentioned made Draco shiver.

This was why Draco was bothered. Before this year at Hogwarts he had never questioned the way he had been brought up. But now he found himself second-guessing, and it was all because of one muggle-born witch, Jessica Anderson.

It all started at the beginning of the year in Potions class. Professor Snape didn't have the students make any potions first class period, which was odd. Instead a few minutes later professor McGonagall came in and started talking about a project. Draco hadn't known when he had woken up that morning that he was in for an interesting next six weeks. Around five o'clock that night he found himself in a different room and sharing it with the mudblood, Jessica Anderson. That was only the beginning. After two weeks of being stuck with her a new addition was added. Not just another partner, but a baby. A baby made from strands of both his and the mudblood's DNA. To say the least, Draco was surprised when a baby girl was handed to the mudblood that looked just like him. There was just enough difference though, barely to tell that the mudblood was the mother of his 'child.' The next few days proved interesting for Draco. He avoided taking care of the child at all costs. When he saw the baby and the mudblood, he would instantly hear his father's voice ringing in his head. _Malfoy's do not under any circumstance associate with mudblood's,_ his father's cold voice would pound into his ears. Well, Draco thought, how was he supposed to do that without failing? But when it came to his father, Draco knew that wouldn't be an excuse. So, he did as what his father thought he should do, ignore the responsibilities and make life a living hell for the mudblood. Until one night that is.

One night the mudblood obviously couldn't take it any longer. Actually, Draco was surprised she had lasted that long. It was when she came to him at the brink of tears; Draco could no longer take his father's orders. Well in theory he could, but deep down it even bothered him to continue doing what he was doing. And in that moment things changed. Draco began taking some responsibility when it came to the baby, though he had his limits. If his father had found out, he would be dead.

As time progressed Draco made a huge discovery. Being around the mudblood was actually not as dreadful as he thought. It was tolerable; something Draco would never have thought in his wildest dreams. Being around her didn't drive him absolutely mad anymore. Something of course he would never admit to, if he favored his life that is. Things went pretty well except for two instances that had Draco in the predicament he was now.

The first incident being an argument. They never seemed to have enough of those. It was almost though them being polite to each other was the signaling of the end of the world. In this particular argument Draco had really pissed off Jess. She went storming out of the room. Draco had no idea what force possessed him to follow her, nor did he know how it managed to. All that he knew is that when he followed her out it made things rather interesting between the pair. As if it wasn't interesting enough, apparently not. When Draco finally caught up with her, he heard Anderson bashing him and ranting about how terrible he was to Granger. Draco's temper rose ten-fold. When Granger alerted Anderson of his presence, if looks could kill, Anderson would have been dead on the spot. Granger being the clever witch she was, left before blood was spilt. A more heated argument pursued between Draco and the mudblood, until Draco laid the last blow. One that he knew would make her enraged beyond reason, he kissed her. But as Draco kissed her, he didn't find it as revolting as he had thought it would be. In fact he didn't find it revolting at all. It was dare he say it, pleasant? Yes, damn it he was safe in his own thoughts! It was this though that slowly began to crack Draco's mask.

But it was the second instance that really had Draco second guessing himself. The night with the boggart whom he had thought was his father. Draco had been terrified. He and he alone knew how vile and cruel his father could be. Just thinking about it made Draco shudder violently to the point where Pansy noticed and came over.

"Are you alright Draco?" She asked while placing her hand on his arm.

"I'm fine." He retorted instantly. "I'd like some time to myself if you don't mind."

"Of course Drakie." Pansy kissed his cheek while receiving a scowl from Draco, before prancing off. Man she bothered him, how much, she would never know.

Back to his thoughts Draco plunged. After remembering where he left off he began. That night when he had thought it was actually his father there. Draco had shown utmost fear and right in front of the mudblood. No one, not even his own mother knew just how much Draco was mortified by his father. Narcissa knew that it was bad for Draco and tried to protect him, only ending up getting hurt herself. Narcissa was the only one Draco could truly say he loved. He certainly didn't love his father. In fact he hated his father, hated him for what he did to him and his mother. But at the same time Draco was too afraid of Lucius to do anything about it. So when he showed Anderson how terrified he was, Draco had revealed a dark secret that no one knew. It was after this event, that Draco became desperate. Yes, the Draco Malfoy became desperate. He had to make sure that with whatever measure had to made that Anderson never uttered a word about what happened to anyone. It was something she had to take with her to her grave. The day went by and it seemed as though she hadn't told anyone. _She must be using it as a card to pull out to bribe me,_ he had thought. Quite the contrary though. Jess didn't tell anyone because she felt sorry for him. Thought she wouldn't tell him that. Draco had sent her an owl in the next morning to meet him in the Room of Requirement. He hoped she would come on her own free will so he wouldn't have to drag her there. That in itself would look extremely odd and most definitely would turn heads. Not to mention he would have Potty, Weasel and the bookworm after him faster than he would say Wingardium Leviosa. Luckily, some higher being had, had to of heard his desperate plea. Anderson came and not with the rest of her golden troop. After a brief interrogation it was proved adequately enough to Draco that she had not told anyone about the incident. Then after hitting the point so much in the head that a chipmunk could understand it, Draco was satisfied enough that she would not tell a soul. Of course this still left him doubtful as he left the Room of Requirement. After the next day, Draco noticed that no one looked at him differently or laughed at him. She had kept the promise and that is what shook him.

First off why would she feel obligated to keep her promise? Its not like her and Draco were chums. In fact they were quite the opposite. As far away from chums you could get without murdering each other, although if he killed her, his father would be quite proud. But there were two problems with that idea. One, as impossible and unlikely as it sounds, Draco didn't want to kill anyone, not even a mudblood. And two that would give him a one way ticket to Azkaban, which was not on the top of his priority list. Nor was it on the middle of the bottom of his priority list. It was on the top if his 'I don't ever want this to happen to me' list.

Maybe there was something about the situation that he didn't understand. He paused for a moment to go over it again. After being tormented for five years by him, she finally has some serious blackmail that she could use to destroy his reputation at school and in turn get him in some serious life threatening trouble with his father? No, that covered all angles of the situation and it still didn't make any sense as to why she hadn't told anyone. Perhaps she was using this as a, 'You owe me big time.' But as plausible as that sounded, if that was the case wouldn't she have made that clear in their talk? No doubt she would of, she wasn't stupid. So the only other semi-logical reason is that she was doing it because she wanted to, or she had sympathy for Draco. No, scratch that, that wasn't in the least bit remotely logical. Yet that's what she was doing. At this moment Draco really wished he understood women better or that he could get inside her head. Little did he know that's how all men felt and he wasn't alone. He sighed while running a hand through his vibrant hair. So this was it. He'd just have to accept it for what it was and move on. But the hard thing was he couldn't. He had so many questions that he wished could be answered, questions that he would have to ask her himself. The odd thing was that didn't seem as daunting a task as it should, nor did it sound repulsive. It was this that made Draco come to his next conclusion. This whole entire discussion with himself in his head made him realize something. It made him realize that his father was wrong. His father was completely wrong. Muggle-borns weren't all bad. And Anderson for one was tolerable, and dare he say it possibly likable? If his father had any idea what he was thinking, Draco would be beaten within an inch of his life and then brainwashed for a month straight. It was a good thing Lucius was completely clueless.

It was all the previously stated talk with himself that made Draco realize why he had such a close eye on Zabini. He knew that he thought Anderson was good looking, and as much as Draco would love to deny is, he couldn't. Anderson was fairly good looking. But with what Zabini had planned for her if he ever did get her alone again. Or well, he thought Zabini had succeeded once. He wasn't sure though. Little did he know he was right. Why he knew what was planned for her was because Zabini had suggested at the beginning of the project that he take advantage of having her to himself behind closed doors. This was why he felt it was his duty to make sure it didn't happen. Because he was the only one who knew. He couldn't tell her friends because they wouldn't believe him. Draco situated himself into a more comfortable position on the couch as he sighed. This was going to be a long year.

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Yay chapter twenty-two is up! I don't know when twenty-three will be up since I have not typed it up yet. Also, I'm so close to getting over the daunting task of writing the annoying pensieve meeting number two. Trust me, I hate writing them, but I feel its important to include it so we all know whats going on. As for the who shall survive, it looks like Snape is getting more votes now. If you havent voted yet, feel free to still do so. If you have already, I'm going to ignore a second vote. MainlycoughsTharkuncoughs So, if you would all PLEASE REVIEW that would be wonderful! Until next chapter, read and review!-Jess


	23. The ever questioning Ginny

Hello everyone! I would like thank everyone who has been reading and reviewing! I would like to say that I'm going to try and update more this week since next week I am starting a new job so I will be more busy. But I take the time to make sure that I still update in reasonable about of time so you guys won't leave. So, without further ado, I do not own Harry Potter.

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After about an hour of walking around the grounds, jess and Rachel headed back inside and into the Great Hall. They both headed to the left. Rachel stopped at the second table farthest to the left. "Well, I'll see ya later." She smiled and gave Jess a hug before sitting down.

"See ya." Jess smiled and went over to the Gryffindor table. Hermione was already sitting down with Parvati. But Jess knew better, Hermione was still upset with her. Sighing, Jess sat in an empty spot and waited for Harry. She filled her goblet with pumpkin juice and grabbed some roast pork and put it on her plate. "I hope he comes soon." She said ever so quietly while putting some green beans on her plate. As she was doing this the entire Gryffindor Quidditch team came in.

They all received glances and in some cases glares from other students. It wasn't often that one of the Quidditch teams would tromp in, in their Quidditch robes and brooms in hand.

Harry spotted Jess in a hole absent of students at the table. He quietly walked over ad slipped in next to her, while placing a hand on her arm. Harry leaned over to her at the same time and whispered in her ear. "Hey."

Jess nearly fell out of her seat in surprise. It took her a moment to compose herself as well as find her voice. "Harry, you scared the crap out of me!" She said this loud enough so anyone within ten seats of her could hear.

Harry softly chuckled. "Sorry, Jess. I really am. I had no idea that you would react like that."

"Well don't do it again, Harry James Potter!" Jess tried to sound serious but lacked the tone as she broke out into a smile at Harry trying to scramble around for something to say.

"I won't. Now that I know if I do you might have a heart attack." He grinned, "What are you so jumpy about anyways?"

"You forget I did live with Malfoy for six weeks. I always was on my toes incase he decided to try and murder me."

"He wouldn't dare and try that." Harry replied in a bit of a more serious tone.

"Oh? And why is that?"

"I'd kill him. And Ginny, Ron and Hermione would be right there helping me."

"That's very sweet of you Harry. You know, Rachel would help you too."

"I wouldn't doubt that. You two seem pretty close."

"Yeah, well I knew her before I started going to Hogwarts."

"Really? That would explain it. That's cool though. I wish I could say the same but well, you know. If there was another future witch of wizard on my block, uncle Vernon would have got the coast guard to remove them as quickly as possible."

Jess couldn't help but laugh. "Do you really think he would go to such lengths to get rid of a child that would go off to school in a few years and only be home for the summer?"

He gave her a look as if she should know better than to ask. "This is my uncle Vernon we are talking about. Didn't I tell you what he did when it came to me getting my first letter?"

"Didn't he board up the mail slot?"

"Yeah, that was relatively tame. I did tell you about him moving us to an abandoned house on an island so no one could get to us, right?"

"Yeah, I remember you telling me that. I thought you were trying to fool me. I honestly had, had no idea your uncle could be that much of a crackpot. Its not like you were going to come back and hurt them or something."

"I was pretty mad that they had lied to me all those years about my parents though. They made them and still so, seem like they were two of the worst people to ever live because they used magic. I mean my mum is my aunt Petunia's sister! You would think she could accept that, and live with it for her own sister."

"I guess not, Harry. But it shows how little of a person your aunt it. Your mom did nothing wrong. Neither did your dad, remember that. Remember that they loved you so much that they died for you. It really shows how much they loved you."

Harry's face spilt into a warm smile. "You're right Jess. I just wish it didn't have to be this way. I wish they could be with me now. Or at least Sirius was here…" He trailed off into thought of what he almost had, had. Harry had almost escaped from living with the Dursley's ever again. If he would have just not let that rat get away. But nothing could be done about it now. As much as Harry hated to admit it, Sirius was no more. He felt tears form at the corners of his eyes. Sirius' 'death' had happened not that long ago. It still shook him when he thought back to it. He had been there. Harry had witnessed it. What made it worse was he knew there was nothing he could do about it.

"Harry?" Jess placed her hand on his. "You know that, that wasn't your fault. There was nothing that you did to cause that to happen. Nor was there anything that you didn't do to cause it. It was an accident and you shouldn't blame yourself. I hate seeing you blame yourself for nothing you did."

Harry looked up and into her eyes. Green eyes meeting with green. "Its not what I did, Jess. Its what I didn't do. If I wouldn't have gone into the Department of Mysteries, if I wouldn't have dragged you, Ron, Hermione, Ginny, Neville and Luna along, endangering your lives, Sirius wouldn't be dead now."

"Harry, don't regret the decision you made. If you wouldn't have seen what you saw, Mr. Weasley would be dead now. Think of the life you saved and the heartache you prevented."

He nodded, "I just wish I would have saved Sirius as well."

"He's proud of you Harry. Proud of all you have accomplished. He doesn't blame you for what happened. Please understand that."

"I do, Jess." He gave her a smile. "Thanks for listening." Harry took off his glasses for a moment and wiped his eyes before placing them back on. "Let's eat shall we?"

"Sounds good, I'm pretty hungry myself." Jess let go of his hand after giving it a light squeeze. She picked up her silverware and began eating. A few moments later Ginny came over and sat by the pair.

"Ron's still being a prat I take it." She mused out loud while sitting next to Jess. "He really needs to grow up. I'm sorry you two have to deal with his lack of maturity."

"Its alright, Gin. After knowing Ron for so long we've grown accustom to it and you could venture by saying we sort of expect it once in a while."

Ginny rolled her eyes. "You shouldn't be used to it. It anything you should know and expect him to act normally."

"Ginny, you sound a lot like Hermione." Harry interjected in-between bites.

"I'll take that as a compliment." She replied sarcastically.

"I think sooner or later, Ron will realize what he's done and apologize." Jess commented while setting down her goblet.

"Once can hope. Anyway, if he keeps this up for far too long I'll send mum an owl. That will straighten him out. So, have you talked to Hermione?"

"She's over there with Parvati." Harry motioned over to Hermione talking with one of the Patil twins. Her sister Padma was in Ravenclaw.

"I'll assume no then. She'll come around soon though, knowing Hermione." She smiled and looked back over to Jess and Harry. "How have you two been holding up?"

Harry was in mid-sip and coughed, which of course made things worse. He started choking. Jess smacked Harry's back a few times. "We're doing alright. I mean its different, but at least we have each other" she replied.

Ginny's right eyebrow was raised and she had a curious look on her face. Obviously she was wondering why Harry had reacted that way to the questions. "True."

Jess had hoped that was a sufficient reply to the ever inquisitive redhead. Harry's reaction hadn't helped. It opened the door of possibilities for the imagination. And that wasn't what they needed if they were going to keep this relationship under wraps for now. "What have you been up to?" Jess managed to ask.

"Not all that I should be" Ginny confessed. "Between school, Quidditch and Dean, I haven't hung out with you in what seems like forever! Sorry, Jess."

"Its alright Gin. I understand. Harry and I have been getting along just fine. Although, it would be nice to see you more."

"I'll try, I really will."

"I know Gin" Jess smiled. A comfortable lull in the conversation pursued until Jess finished eating. "I think I'm going to head back up to the common room." She stated while standing.

A pair of blue eyes noticed her stand from across the room. They scanned their own table they were eating at to find a pair of brown eyes watching her every move. The platinum blonde and owner of the blue eyes readied himself to leave, just in case Zabini, the owner of the brown eyes, decided to follow her out. Draco hoped it wouldn't have to come to that. Hopefully Wonder Boy of the Weaselette would go with her.

As if to answer his prayers, Harry stood as well. "I'll go with you." He offered as he grabbed his broom.

"What about Ginny?" Jess asked as she looked back to the redheaded girl.

"Don't worry about me Jess. I'll just go and sit with Dean." With that Ginny rose. "I'll see you later."

"Ready?" Harry asked as he shouldered his broom.

"Yep, let's go." They walked out of the Great Hall together. They received a few looks because of how Harry was dressed and his broom. But out of the people, two pairs of eyes weren't looking at Harry. They were concentrated on the girl that walked with him. Both pairs in complete contrast to each. A pair of dark brown eyes and a pair of light blue eyes. As different as they were in color did they have such contrast in the message they were conveying. One showed frustration, the other showed relief.

Jess and Harry walked together up to the Gryffindor common room. Only when they were inside did Jess ask the question she had been dying to ask. She turned to Harry and asked. "Why did you react like that to Ginny's question?"

"Well, I found it kind of funny. How we're doing? We obviously are doing 'fine'. If you consider liking each other and finally getting time with each other, as just fine. I found it ironic that all of this is happening now that Ron and Hermione are upset with us. That's all." He smiled down at her.

"I guess it is pretty weird that this is what happens when Ron and Hermione are mad at us. I think Ginny suspected something though by the way you reacted."

"And if she finds out will it be that bad? If I know Ginny as well as I think I do, she'll be delighted and happy for us."

Jess bit her bottom lip nervously. Ginny was one of the people she was dreading telling. Not because she thought that Ginny would laugh or go and tell everyone. It was because Ginny had, had such a big crush on him. Harry seemed to have forgotten that little piece of information. And to tell you the truth, as much as Ginny tried to hide it, Jess thought that Ginny still liked Harry in that way. She was worried that if Ginny found out it might ruin their friendship or at least put a huge strain on it. That's why she wanted to make absolute sure that her and Harry were serious about this. If they weren't Ginny would never have to know about it.

Harry noticed her uncertainty but didn't understand it. There was some element of it that he clearly didn't get and whatever that element was, it bothered Jess. "You alright, Jess?" He asked, placing a hand on her shoulder.

She looked up at him. "I'm fine. Its just, well I don't think Ginny has completely gotten over he crush on you. I'm worried that, that will make her mad at us, and then we'll have another person avoiding talking to us."

"Oh. You don't think she's over it?" He found himself somewhat surprised at this. Harry had thought that, that had died when he had showed an interest in Cho.

"No, I don't think so. But I'm not sure. I just want to make absolute positive we mean this before anyone finds out."

"I think we are, Jess." He grinned at her. "But I understand what you're saying. It's a good idea to make sure before announcing anything, because like you said, you don't know for sure how everyone it going to react to the news. Some people might be really happy and excited for us. Others might not really care. And there might be some people that are enraged by the idea. Well, I hope no one becomes enraged over us. That would be scary."

Jess laughed, "That would be very scary and slightly disturbing. I don't think that we'll have to worry about that though."

"I don't think so either."

"Though, its not bad to have that idea in the back of your head that someone might. That way if it comes our way we won't be thrown off guard."

"I don't know who we should tell first."

"Well, Ron and Hermione."

He laughed, "Well I know that. I mean should we tell one of them before the other?"

"We could tell them at the same time."

"Yeah, I just think that Hermione might handle it better than Ron."

"Harry, I think what we need to do right now is concentrate on us. We can think of who we tell first later."

He smiled, "Good idea."

"Want to work on some homework together? I still have Charms and Care for Magical Creatures to do."

"Sure, let me just go and grab my books." Harry left and went upstairs to the boy's dorms. Jess went upstairs as well but went to the on the right, which was the girls dorms. In five minutes time they were both back down in the common room. Jess set all of her books down on a table and sat down.

Harry sat down next to her. "What should we do first?"

"Charms since we have that tomorrow." She cracked open her _Standard Book of Spells Grade 6_, and opened to page seventy-three. Harry followed suit and they began their Charms homework. About an hour and a half later they were finished with Charms and moved on to Care for Magical Creatures. Luckily that homework took half the time Charms did. They were finished and it was a quarter after nine.

At about nine thirty, Ginny came up and stole Jess from harry. Claiming they needed to have some girl bonding time. Harry laughed as Jess was carted away, likely being taken off to be interrogated about who had asked her out to Hogsmeade the last time they had visited. Harry wondered just how long Jess could evade telling her who it was. He had to give her some credit for lasting this long. Ginny could be pretty persuasive if she wanted to. After another thirty minutes of milling around in the common room and talking to Seamus, Harry headed up to his room for the night.

"For the last time, Ginny, I'm not telling you who took me to Hogsmeade! I'm going to tell you when I think the time is right. Until then you are just going to have to deal with my decision."

"I still don't understand why you won't tell me." Ginny sat down on her bed defeated. She still hadn't convinced Jess to tell her who this mystery man was.

"Ginny, its not that I want to hide if from you, we just don't know ourselves yet. Both of us have never done this before. I promise you'll be one of the first ones to know, okay?"

"One of the first ones?" She asked, in a more annoyed tone of voice.

"I meant that I'll tell you, Harry, Ron and Hermione at the same time."

"Oh, that's okay." Her annoyed tone had vanished and a smile was on her face. "Don't wait too long, alright?"

"I won't. But that doesn't mean that I'm telling you tomorrow."

"Why not?"

"Because I'm not going to know all of the answers by tomorrow. Also, I have a feeling that Ron and Hermione are still going to mad at me."

"I suppose you're right. Well, I better head to bed. I have a History of Magic test tomorrow. Wish me luck, I'll need it."

"What you need is as much sleep as you can possibly get beforehand. Then you'll have a less likely chance of falling asleep in the class." They both laughed at Jess' comment.

"I'll see you tomorrow." Ginny smiled as Jess got up and left Ginny's room. Jess walked into her room to see that Hermione was actually in the room. Hermione was diligently working on one of their assignments in advance. Jess decided that she'd give Hermione another day before asking her about the incident. She slipped into her pajamas and got into her bed. Jess then closed her eyes and eventually fell asleep.

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Alright chapter twenty-three is up! Well you all know what to do now. And if you still have not voted on who should survive, you can still vote. I will try and update soon, since I don't have much going on this week. So, if you could as always please review that would be amazing! Thanks, and until next chapter!


	24. Charms class!

Alright here we go yet again with a new chapter! Hopefully the updates have been frequent enough to your liking. I finally got unstuck... That only took about FOREVER! Gosh I hate writing those Harry Dumbledore meetings. I really do. There's not much to expand on, on them, but yet they're important... Gah, only a few more... Anyways! I do not own Harry Potter!

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The night had proved to be more interesting for Draco. After he had thought through his problems, Draco went to dinner. When he got there Crabbe, Goyle, Pansy and Zabini were there as well. As Draco sat down Pansy latched on to his arm like she normally did. Crabbe and Goyle gave Draco their usually look of recognition, which looked like a cross of concentration and extreme stupidity. Zabini on the other hand had looked up from his food for a brief moment to acknowledge Draco and then went back to his dinner.

After ten minutes of eating, Draco looked over to look at Zabini. Zabini was already preoccupied with looking at Anderson. Draco suppressed a snort and went back to his dinner. Another five minutes went by of Draco listening to the useless pettiness coming from Pansy's mouth about how her hair out shined any female's at Hogwarts, when he looked over at Zabini again. Zabini was still spooning down his food while periodically glancing over at the Gryffindor table.

"Isn't that funny Draco?...Draco?" Pansy looked at him and waved a hand in front of his face. "What are you looking at?" She asked when she had finally realized she wasn't going to get his attention.

This snapped Draco out of his thoughts and he looked over at Pansy. "I was just thinking of the upcoming Quidditch match against Ravenclaw."

"Isn't that a ways away though?" He was busted; the Quidditch match wasn't at least for a month. As long as Zabini didn't hear her it would be alright. Draco could do enough damage control so Pansy would believe him. Heck, Draco could say just about anything and Pansy would believe. Just then Zabini turned his gaze him the Gryffindor table onto Draco and Pansy.

He looked at mainly Draco as he asked the question Draco was dreading. "What were you really thinking about, Draco? Even you don't think about matched that far in advance." Draco could just barely see Zabini's masked smirk, and the malicious intent read in his dark brown orbs.

"Who says I don't think about matches that early?" He scoffed as if how dare anyone question his authority. "It's a good thing you're not on the team Blaise. It seems obvious that your mind likes to wander else ware." Draco's voice stressed his last word as to get his point across. As to stick it to Zabini and make it known that he knew what he was doing.

Zabini's eyes narrowed slightly. "And why, Draco, do you care?" Pansy, Crabbe and Goyle were clueless as to the deeper and more significant meaning of what he was asking.

In response, Draco sneered. "Like I care. Do whatever you want, as long as it doesn't involve me." Draco looked straight at Zabini.

"Its settled then. Just one thing Draco."

"And what would that be?"

"Stay out of my business." He said firmly.

"Fine, like I want anything to do with your 'business'."

"Aright, then." Zabini grinned that sick twisted grin that only Draco knew the meaning behind. He then turned back to his food, as did Draco.

_I'll have to be sneakier than I thought_, Draco thought to himself. Zabini proved to have some brains after all. Something Draco wasn't use to, Crabbe and Goyle, following him around all the time. He had to admit; the project had given him time to be away from then when they were too overly stupid.

After another ten minutes a Gryffindor girl with beautiful medium brown hair and emerald eyes stood. This got Zabini's attention as well as Draco's. Draco readied himself to leave incase she went out on her own and Zabini followed her out. Draco hoped is wouldn't have to come to that. Hopefully Wonder Boy of the Weaselette would go with her.

As if to answer his prayers, Harry stood as well. "I'll go with you." He offered as he grabbed his broom.

"What about Ginny?" Jess asked as she looked back to the redheaded girl.

"Don't worry about me Jess. I'll just go and sit with Dean." With that Ginny rose. "I'll see you later."

"Ready?" Harry asked as he shouldered his broom.

"Yep, let's go." They walked out of the Great Hall together. They received a few looks because of how Harry was dressed and his broom. But out of the people, two pairs of eyes weren't looking at Harry. They were concentrated on the girl that walked with him. Both pairs in complete contrast to each. A pair of dark brown eyes and a pair of light blue eyes. As different as they were in colors did they have such in the message they were conveying at the moment, one showed frustration, the other showed relief.

Once Harry and Jess exited, Draco was able to relax and eat the remaining portion of his food. After dinner, Draco walked back to the Slytherin dungeons by himself. He had given Pansy the notion that he didn't want to be accompanied, so she left ahead of him with Millicent. As soon as Draco entered the Slytherin common room he headed toward his dorm, and retired there for the night. Draco finished his homework before turning in early for the night.

The next morning started off nicely for all of the students, except for Harry. He hadn't been able to sleep because his thoughts were too heavily concentrated on tonight. Today was Thursday, meaning the night he and Jess were to have their third date. Their second date had come up unannounced but neither party involved really cared.

Harry sat on the edge of his bed, still clad in his red plaid pajama pants and white t-shirt. He remained like this, just staring into space until Neville began speaking to him.

"Harry? Are you alright?" Neville looked at Harry, who was staring at a spot on the floor three feet away from him. He had found this odd since he had never saw Harry do this before.

Harry snapped his head up and looked at Neville. "Huh?"

"You were just staring vacantly at a patch of carpet. I was wondering if you were alright."

"Oh…" He ran a hand through his untidy black hair. "Yeah, I'm fine Neville." As if to prove his point, Harry stood and walked over to his dresser.

Neville looked at him for a moment longer, before shrugging and going back to his morning routine. He thought maybe how Ron was acting towards him was finally getting to Harry. How far from the truth was, he didn't know.

Harry hadn't thought about Ron or Hermione for the last twelve hours he had been awake. He was making final plans on his date with Jess, hoping that she would like what he had planned for them. It had taken him a few days to think of it, and when he finally did he was certain Jess would like the idea. Harry took an abnormally long time getting dressed. The first time he put his pants on; he put them on inside out. Then he had to re-button his shirt three times before the buttons were in their proper place. He lastly ran a comb through his hair but to no avail as his hair resumed its untamed state. Harry had never really been able to control it. So why would it decide to behave now?

Breakfast was awkwardly quiet as Jess and Harry sat there, not exchanging any words past good morning. Jess could tell Harry was nervous about something. She racked her brain thinking if they had any tests, which they didn't. She then thought if they had any huge projects to turn in. They didn't have any of those either. Sighing, Jess looked over at Harry who was hardly eating. "Harry?"

Harry looked up from his food and at Jess. "Yeah?"

"Is something wrong?"

"No, nothings wrong. Why would anything be wrong?"

"Well you seem a little, nervous about something. I was wondering if it was anything I could help with."

"Oh, no but thanks for asking." He smiled slightly. "Ready for tonight?"

So that's what it was! Their date tonight. Jess was relieved as she smiled. Why it had made Harry a nervous wreck she had no idea. They had already gone on two successful dates. So why would this one be any different? "Yes, I am. Are you?"

Harry nodded, "I am. We're meeting up after dinner right?"

"Yep, in front of the kitchens."

"Sounds good."

"Harry? You don't need to be nervous about it. I'm sure everything is going to be just fine."

"I hope so. I want everything to be perfect."

"I'm sure it is." Jess smiled and stood. "Ready for Charms?"

Harry stood up after her and grabbed his bag. "I'm ready as I'll ever be." They both laughed and headed up to professor Flitwick's class.

When they got there, they sat in the back. That was a sure way to make sure Hermione wouldn't be giving them disapproving looks during class. Soon everyone filed into the classroom and Flitwick stood in front of the class.

"Good morning class!" He squeaked cheerfully as he stood on his stood. "Today we will be working on more non-verbal charms. If you could please open up your books to page eighty-six and read the introduction to summoning charms. In twenty minutes I'd like to have us all come back together and discuss it, as well as I will give you further information."

Everyone took out their books and began reading. Flitwick sat back down on his stool and waited for everyone to finish. Today was double Charms so they had plenty of time. While he waited, Flitwick began correcting some of his fourth year student's essays. When the twenty minutes was up, everyone had completed the introduction. The tiny professor beamed and opened up his copy of the book as well as a piece of chalk to write with. "Excellent! Now please grab out your notebooks and jot this question down." He wrote down: What is the definition of a Summon Charm?

Hermione's hand went up immediately as soon as she finished writing down the question.

"Yes, Hermione. Do you have the answer?"

"Yes, professor. The word summon means to request, to appear or to send for. What a summoning charm does is brings the desired object forth."

"Precisely Miss, Granger! Five points to Gryffindor!" Professor Flitwick quickly wrote up a more condensed version of what Hermione said. "Now can anyone tell me a summoning charm?"

This time a few more hands went up, including Jess'. "Yes Jessica?"

"The most general charm for summoning an object would be Accio." Jess replied while putting her hand down.

"Excellent! Another five points for Gryffindor! Now say I wanted to have Mr. Finnegan's quill come to me, what charm would I use?"

Seamus raised his hand since his quill was being used in the example.

"Yes, Seamus?"

"Accio, Mr. Finnegan's quill?"

"Exactly, take another five points." Flitwick hopped off of his stool and began to walk around the room. "Now I know in fourth year we learned how to use the verbal Accio spell. For the next few weeks we will be working on the non-verbal spell as well as a few other specialized summoning charms. Can anyone think of a specialized summoning charm?"

The class remained silent in thought for a few seconds before Hermione rose her hand.

"Yes, Miss, Granger?"

"Would Aquamenti be considered one?"

"Yes that is the one I was thinking of. While it isn't a summoning charm per say, since the only true summoning charm is Accio. Aquamenti does serve a similar purpose. We will first work in Accio, and then delve into other Charms that have a singular purpose to produce simple objects." Flitwick went back to the board and began writing some more. Class soon ended and everyone went to lunch.

Jess and Harry sat by themselves again, as Ron and Hermione were still mad. Gunny came over soon and they all had a pleasant conversation, which indirectly helped Harry calm his nerves.

After lunch Jess and Harry headed down to Herbology and then after that they went to Transfiguration. As soon as Transfiguration was done Jess was dragged off by Ginny. Harry smiled as the two went off to ply exploding snap. He needed the time to make the final preparations for their date tonight. Harry went up into his room and decided to change into something more comfortable.

Harry looked at himself in the mirror, making sure he looked presentable. Harry adorned a pair of blue jeans and a gray t-shirt. _Nothing bad about this outfit, _he mused to himself. The usual renegade strand of hair was sticking up on the back of his head. Wishing to resolve this battle quickly, Harry grabbed his wand. Surely there had to be a hair taming spell. Hermione was living proof there had to be. Harry searched the recesses of his mind for a spell that would pertain to hair car. After about five minutes of standing in front of the mirror with his wand pointed at the back of his head, Harry concluded he didn't know one. Asking Hermione was out of the question. For one, Hermione wasn't speaking to him at present. And two, she'd be confused ad to why the sudden interest in how his hair looks. She and the rest of Harry's friends figured out long ago that Harry's hair had a mind of its own. He shook his head and placed his wand back in his pocket. "Might as well try and pass the time with homework." Harry walked over to his desk and grabbed his History of Magic that he hadn't finished as well as his Herbology that was due at the beginning of next week. After a small debate consisting of himself and himself, harry decided to work on his homework in his room. He wouldn't need to bother Jess until after dinner. About an hour went by and Harry finally finished his History of Magic. Even when you weren't listening to professor Binns talking to you about the day's lesson, reading about it afterwards most people became drowsy. There really had to be some way to make the class at least exciting enough to stay awake in. It was apparent to everyone who had the misfortune of taking the class that no one was checking out any possibilities. They were all doomed to continue with class as previously. Harry just hoped he managed to pass the class this year. He had every other year, but it was still a questionable feat with every new year. At least it was for him and Ron.

Ron… To Harry it seemed like ages ago since the last time he talked to Ron. Ron of course was too busy being a twit. If he would just get the courage to tell Hermione how he feels. If Harry asked Jess out why couldn't Ron ask Hermione out? One never knew what went on in Ron's head, only Ron did. Shaking his head as it to clear his thoughts, Harry stood up and stretched. There was no way he was going to be able to concentrate on his Herbology. What with History of Magic draining his will power to rock bottom, Harry though it was a good idea to work on Herbology later. Perhaps on the weekend would be a better idea.

The loud chiming of the clock alerted Harry that it was now six o'clock. Time had literally flown by. He paced back over to the mirror for one last glance. Everything looked in order. Harry took a deep breath. "Well, here we go." He gave himself a nod in the mirror and walked out of the room and to the Great Hall.

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Yay chapter twenty-four is up! Hopefully it was to all of your liking. Yes, I know, Draco needs to do more. He's not going to for a while. I'm sorry folks. I'll make up for it later with loads of Draco. This is kind of his down time. We all know what hes up to and its not that exciting. I'd like to mention Jess and Harry will end. Again, not for a while though. So, any guesses on what Harry has in mind for the date? I'm curious to see what you all think. PLEASE REVIEW as always. There weren't as many last time. Hopefully there will be this time. Until next chapter, please review!


	25. The date in the Room of Requirement!

Hello everyone and welcome to chapter twenty-five! Sorry it took so long but I have been busy the last few days. Good news though, you get this chapter to read! I thank you all for the wonderful reviews you have been giving me and I aim to please you all. Hopefully this next chapter will all give you some happiness. For that is what I strive for in these chapters, as well as my own happiness. With that said, I do not own Harry Potter.

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Jess had arrived in the Great Hall about two minutes before six. Ginny accompanied her and kept her entertained as she waited for Harry. As soon as both her and Harry were done with dinner, they would meet up in the kitchens. When they got to the Room of Requirement the date would officially begin. Jess ate just enough food to not be questioned by Ginny. Her dace was kept calm so that no one would ask questions. Underneath her exterior though, Jess felt a bit nervous. Harry had seemed so nervous before it made her second guess if she was being too calm. Was there something as being too calm? If there was, Jess was sure she was. That is until, her and Ginny got to dinner. It was as if instantly her nerves began to make their presence known. Jess absentmindedly twirled a piece of her hair around her left index finger as she listened to Ginny.

"So, I don't know about you, but I'm excited for the weekend. I have way too much homework to finish before then sadly. I just hope I'll get it all done." The redhead chattered while putting food on her plate.

"I'm positive you will Ginny. Luckily you didn't take after Fred and George when it came to your work ethic in regards to school." Jess replied, which received a smile from Ginny.

"I know mum wouldn't have tolerated another one of her kids dropping out of school."

"With good reason. Fred and George are lucky they have such talent at what they do. That and that it appeals to most ages."

"Well there isn't another Umbridge taking over the school so I won't be leaving."

Jess laughed, "I'm glad. I don't know what I'd do without you, Gin."

"You'd manage. As long as Ron didn't explode and make Hermione mad in the process again."

"That's if they get over this recent issue." Jess sighed and grabbed for her pumpkin juice.

"I'd give Hermione until the beginning of next week at the latest. I'm sure you'll be talking to her before then. She doesn't seem to be one that stays mad for long." Ginny placed a hand on Jess' shoulder comfortingly.

"Fortunately you're right." She smiled at Ginny and the looked up to see Harry walking over. "Hey, Harry."

He looked at the two girls and smiled. "Hey Jess, Ginny." He sat down across from the pair and began pouring himself something to drink. Much to his relief, he noticed Jess had changed out of her uniform as well. She was wearing a pair of jeans and an orange t-shirt. A smile came over his face. Jess' favorite color was orange. It suited her since it was a bright color, just like she was a bright person. When Jess had told all of her friends, she had gotten a question from Ron if it was because she liked the Chudley Cannons. Of course she had, had no idea who the Chudley Cannons were. Which resulted in Ron giving a detailed speech about the Chudley Cannons were the best Quidditch team ever. This ordeal happened back at the beginning of second year.

The rest of dinner went as pleasantly as it could when you were nervous. At around six-thirty, Harry stood up. "I have to work on some exercises to go over in our next Quidditch practice."

"When's that again?" Ginny asked while looking up at him.

"Sunday morning at eight, from eight to eleven."

"Alright, sounds good." She smiled. "See ya Harry."

Jess looked up at Harry as well. "Bye Harry."

"See you two later." Harry made his way out of the Great Hall. When he stood outside of the kitchens, he took a right towards the kitchens. "Hopefully Dobby had everything ready." Ten minutes later, Harry stood in front of the portrait that was the door to the kitchens. He tickled the pear on the painting and the portrait swung open to reveal at least a hundred House Elves at work. The way the House Elves reacted was priceless. It was as it the queen of England herself had walked in. At least a dozen House Elves scrambled over to Harry. Many of them were holding platters containing food. They pushed and shoved each other out of the way, trying to be the most accessible to Harry so he could try a sample off of their platter.

Harry suppressed the laugh that was threatening to spill out. Hermione wouldn't have been all that happy at how the House Elves flung themselves at Harry. He concluded that they would make excellent body guards. Before it got too out of hand, Harry got all of the House Elves attention. "Excuse me?"

The room became as silent as the grave when Harry opened his mouth and spoke. The House Elves froze, some in mid-step. Harry blinked and shifted on his feet. "I was wondering where Dobby was." As soon as he finished speaking the room broke out into mass hysteria. The House Elves searched for Dobby like he had gone missing. Harry got out of the way as fast as he could. Five minutes later a House Elf with large green tennis ball sized eyes was presented to Harry.

"Harry Potter sir!" Dobby smiled and bowed low to the ground. The three hats on his head magically stayed on his head.

"Hey Dobby." Harry smiled, while watching the other House Elves out of the corner of his eye. Most of them had gone back to work but others continued to ogle at Harry as though he was a deity. This made Harry feel slightly uncomfortable. "Um, do you have those things ready for me?"

Dobby's head began to bob up and down in an enthusiastic nod. "Yes, harry Potter! Dobby has everything ready just like Dobby promised." He scuttled off and came back two minutes later with a closed picnic basket. "Here Harry Potter! Just as Harry Potter asked."

Harry took the basket from Dobby. "Thanks Dobby."

"Was Dobby's pleasure sir!"

He smiled at Dobby and turned to leave the kitchen, the sooner the better.

Meanwhile at a quarter to seven, Jess finished dinner and got up. "I think I'm going to head back to the common room."

Ginny stood as well. "Let me go grab Dean and we can go together."

"Alright…" Jess looked at the clock in hoped Harry hadn't been waiting too long. She would have left sooner but couldn't find the right time to leave. Ginny came back with Dean and they started off towards the common room. About give minutes into their walk, Ginny had forgotten Jess was there and was talking with Dean. Jess took this as the opportune moment and headed back towards the kitchens.

As she got there she saw Harry coming out of the kitchen. Jess smiled, "Sorry I'm late. I couldn't break away from Ginny."

H laughed and shook his head. "Why am I not surprised? Its alright though. Actually I had one last thing to do so it worked out perfectly."

"Oh, well I'm glad. I'd hate to keep you waiting."

Harry walked over to her, the basket handles held in one hand. "Shall we head up there then?"

"Yes, I'm ready." She noticed the basket. "What's that for?"

"That is a surprise."

"Oh boy…Should I be afraid?"

"No. Its nothing to be afraid of."

"You sure?" Jess' right eyebrow was raised ever so slightly.

"Positive."

"Alright, I guess I'll just have to trust you."

Harry laughed, "Well I hope you can."

Jess laughed as well. "Of course I can. Lead the way."

Harry grinned and held out his free left hand. Jess slipped his hand into his. Then and only then did Harry begin to walk. "Did Ginny seem suspicious?" He asked while looking over at her.

"No, not at all."

"Wow, how did you manage that?"

"Two words."

"Uh… Homework?"

"No, that's two words combined into one." Jess laughed and rolled her eyes teasingly. "Honestly Harry, you should know that!"

He grinned and laughed as well. "I couldn't think of anything else."

"Its really obvious though!"

"Is it?"

"Yes!"

"Well it can't be extremely obvious if I have no idea."

"Or you're just not that observant." She replied dryly.

"Ouch, that hurt!" Harry feigned a fake injury to the heart.

Jess couldn't help but laugh. "You're a dork you know that?"

"Takes one to know one."

"Oh, real mature." She replied sarcastically.

Harry grinned cheekily. "I thought so. Now as you were saying?"

"It should really be painfully obvious."

"Really? Uh… Two words?"

"Yes, two words."

"Is this a person of object?"

"Yes."

"Yes to which?"

"Person."

"A person, I'd have to say Dean Thomas."

"Precisely."

"So he came over and distracted her? He must have got the signals I was sending him." He chuckled softly.

Jess laughed and looked at him. "Signals?"

"You know like telepathy."

"Ah, I see. And where pray tell did you learn that?"

"Well Trelawney's class isn't completely useless. I have learned a couple of things."

Jess snorted, "Like what?"

"I've learned to be extremely creative when plotting out my death." Harry replied cheekily.

"Touché."

"Thanks."

"Have you learned anything useful in that class?"

"And creativity isn't useful?"

"Well of course it is. I just mean anything in regards to magic."

"Hmm…" Harry pondered for a moment. "No."

"That's really sad. I'm glad I got out of that class when I did."

"It could be worse."

"Harry, how could that class get any worse?"

"Professor Binns could be the one teaching it."

"Ooh, good point."

"I thought so."

The conversation subsided for the rest of the journey. Harry tightened his grip on the picnic basket. He ran through everything in his head once more to make sure it was perfect.

Jess looked ahead of her and anticipated what this date was going to be like. Now that the time had actually come, she seemed less nervous, as did harry. After another ten minutes they stopped and reached their destination. Harry let go of Jess' hand and began to pace in front of the door three times, while thinking of what he wanted the room to look like. Once he was done walking in front of the door the third time, a large wooden door began to form. Harry grabbed the brass handle and opened the door slightly while holding the picnic basket in his other hand. "Ready?" He smiled at her.

Jess walked over, smiling as well. "Yes."

"Ladies first." Harry opened the door wider and let Jess in, in front of him.

Jess walked in the room and waited for Harry before venturing farther into the room. A few seconds later, Harry stood beside her. The door made a soft clicking noise as it shut. The door then disappeared on the other side, so no one knew that any one was in the Room of Requirement.

Jess looked around the room in awe. The entire room was made up to look like a move theater. In the center of the room were three rows of four chairs wide of the typical movie theater seating. The wall to the far right was no longer the usual wall but instead was a large movie screen. In the corner of the room to the left of the door was a popcorn machine. She turned around to Harry, who was grinning. "Oh Harry! This is fantastic!" Jess smiled and gave Harry a big hug.

Harry felt a blush creep up on his cheeks as he slid his arms around her in a hug. "I've never been to a movie theater, but I've heard Dudley excitedly talk about the experience. I wanted to spend the first time with you."

Jess pulled away slightly to look Harry in his green eyes. "I would be honored to accompany you to your first movie at the movie theater."

Harry couldn't help but grin. "I wasn't sure what movie you'd want to see. As you probably know I don't have a good idea of what's good or not. So, I thought you could choose."

"Me? Hmm, that's a tough one. There are so many good movies. What kind of movie do you think you'd like?"

"Um, I really don't know. I suppose an action movie, but you choose whatever you like. Base your decision on what you like. I'm sure I'll like whatever you pick."

"That just puts more pressure on me!" Jess laughed as Harry gave her a mock apologetic look. She then grew quiet and began to contemplate what they would both like. Obviously a chick flick was out of the question. Jess didn't want Harry's first experience at the movie theater to result in a chick flick. Also, she thought the over excess in romance would make both of them uncomfortable since it was only their third date. That, and well, Jess wasn't the biggest fan of the over the top romance movie; although, she did like a good dose of romance. Jess thought some movies blew it out of proportion. After what must have seemed like ages to Harry, Jess had made her decision. "Alright, I thought of the perfect one."

"Great! What is it?"

"It's a surprise."

"Oh, okay."

An awkward silence ensued where they both looked at each other but didn't know what to say. Finally Jess decided to break the silence. "Hey, Harry?"

He blinked and then looked at her more intently. This was his way of saying he was paying attention. "Yeah?"

"How is the movie going to get on the screen if you didn't pick out the movie before hand?"

"Oh, well there's a little panel control next to the movie screen. You just walked up to it and type in what you want. Then it should play."

"Oh okay." She smiled softly. "So, can I ask what's in the basket now?"

"I almost forgot about that!" Harry laughed as he looked down at the basket in his hands. "Yes you can see what's in the basket." He sat it down on one of the seats of one of the chairs. Opening the basket Harry pulled out a bag.

"What's that?" Jess asked as he pulled out smaller read and white striped bags.

"Popcorn kernels. I've heard popcorn is a must have at the theater." He smiled and handed the bag to Jess as well as the bags for the popcorn to go in when popped.

"Well most people feel like that. It depends on my mood for me. But it sounds great right now." She walked over to the popcorn machine and read the directions that had been left for them.

Harry meanwhile pulled out two pint sized bottles. "Would you like something to drink Jess?"

Jess placed the kernels in the popper and closed the little door. She then walked back over to Harry. "I'd love something to drink. What do you have?"

He looked at the labels on the sides of the bottles. "Um, Cola and root beer."

"Wow, how did you get that?"

"I had Dobby search around for it."

"Impressive, I'd like some root beer please?"

"Of course." Harry pulled out the disposable vending cups. "Ice?"

"Yes, please."

As Harry poured the beverages, Jess went to check on the popcorn. After about five minutes Jess came back with two red and white striped bags filled with popcorn. Once they were ready Harry looked over to the seats. "Where do you want to sit?"

There were three rows of the regular theater seats. Each row contained four seats. "I personally prefer to sit in the middle. How about the second row in the middle seats?"

"Sounds good to me." They both walked over to the seats. Jess sat in the middle seat to the left and Harry sat in the middle seat to the right. Once Jess had set down her drink and popcorn, she walked over to the big screen. When she got there she noticed the little panel, Harry had mentioned. After a minute the title of the movie was punched in and Jess went back to her seat. As she sat down the room began to darken and the previews started playing.

They watched the previews in relative silence, until Jess gasped. Harry looked over at her and whispered, "You alright?"

"Yeah, I'm fine. That's just an actor I like." She whispered back.

"Oh, okay." Harry focused his attention back to the previews. Some of the movies sounded rather stupid to Harry, others peaked his interest. The lights were then completely off as the end of the last preview came. Harry looked at the title of the movie flash across the screen. _Sounds interesting, _he mused.

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Hahaha! A cliffhanger! Oh I'm so cruel. So anyone have any ideas what movie Jess had picked? I'm curious as to what you think it is. Your ideas of what I possibly am making them watch might give me ideas for if I make them watch another movie. I think I possibly might but have the golden group all in attendance. Its a nice though. Also, I'd also like to defend myself saying that this is happening in the Room of requirement. As you all know Muggle technology does not work in Hogwarts, but if you remember correctly you could make anything appear in the Room of Requirement! So thats my story and I'm sticking to it! Although, I'm not sure if you can make food appear. Any ideas on that? Thats why I had Harry bring supplies because I wasn't sure. If you guys have an answer to that, that would be awesome, and please do inform me. Anyways, thats its for chapter twenty-five! PLEASE REVIEW! As I would like to hear your opinions as to what you think I chose, and heck I just like hearing from you all! Until next chapter! Please review as always!-Jess


	26. And the Movie is

Hello everyone and welcome to chapter twenty-six! Before the reading begins or well, of the actual chapter I would like ot mention a couple things. First off, I'm getting complaints about Harry and Jess being together. As I have said a couple times now that, that will end, but not for a while. The story overall will be Jess and Draco, I just have not gotten them together yet. I just don't want it to be cheesy and annoy everyone with how utterly lame it is. Have you ever heard those stories where Draco and the Gryffindor muggle born, usually Hermione, get together in the first five or six chapters? Those are just very unrealistic. I want this to seem as though after time this could happen. You must remember this is Draco Malfoy we are talking about. Its going to take him a while to get over his prejudices completely and accept someone like Jess. This is my defense and I am sticking to it. I had something else to say but I can't think of it at the moment. Oh, alright, I remembered it now. In regards to the movie, I'm surprised no one guessed it! Not that, thats a bad thing. But hopefully you do like the choice. I thought it fit well. So without further delay, I do not own Harry Potter, nor do I own Pirates of the Caribbean!

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The movie then started out with a young girl singing on a ship. Harry prayed this wasn't a musical about pirates. That just sounded dreadful. As if to answer his prayer there were no more songs at the present. Instead there was a boy floating in the water and a ship destroyed and on fire. This all seemed to be a flashback of dream of some sort. It all revolved around the medallion the boy had been wearing.

Harry soon noticed that Jess fancied the boy when he was grown up. A broad grin came up on her face as soon as he made his presence known. _Maybe this is why she chose the movie,_ he thought. The movie then transferred its attention to an interesting looking pirate whose boat was sinking as fast as it was moving forward. When he reached the dock, the boast had fully sunk. Harry found himself laughing as the pirate conversed with the main guy on the dock.

As Captain Jack Sparrow tired to get away, this is when it dawned on Harry that this was not a musical. Jack Sparrow arrived or rather hid in the blacksmith shop. One of the most amazing sword fights ensued as Will Turner walked back into the blacksmith building. If Harry had needed any more evidence that this was not a musical, this was more than enough.

Jess was really enjoying herself. She was on a date with Harry, whom she really liked while watching one of her favorite movies. Not to mention it had Orlando Bloom in it. Who in Jess' mind was a very attractive man. She found herself biting her tongue so she didn't start reciting lines and ruin it for Harry.

Meanwhile Harry was thinking of other things. While there was a brief lull in the action, he wondered if he should make a move, a very subtle move but one he thought might be allowed. Harry stretched his arm out behind her chair and ever so quietly snuck his arm around the top of her chair.

Jess smiled as she felt Harry' arm slip around the back of her chair. She leaned back slightly so she could feel his arm across her shoulder. As if in response to this, Harry lightly placed his hand on her opposite shoulder. They both continued to watch the movie as the action built up again, and Elizabeth was taken.

Tortuga was an interesting place to say the least. Jess thought that the people there were creepy. Harry couldn't agree more. But in any case, Jack and Will got a crew and they were off.

As Barbosa and his crew got to the island that could not be found unless you knew already where it was, the plot thickened. Finally Jack and Will caught up and saved Elizabeth, but this was short lived, when Will revealed who he was and Jack and Elizabeth were thrown over board, deserted to Jack's previous island. A lot more action happened until they all met back up at the island that can not be found unless you already know where it is, including Norrington and his band of navy men.

A long battle occurred in what kept Harry at the edge of his seat. It finally was down to, two men, Barbosa and Jack. When the battle was done, Jack was brought back to Port Royale to be hung at the neck until dead. A bold interception by Will, and Jack was free again. Elizabeth revealed her true love in a passionate kiss with Will.

Jess emitted a soft sigh as she watched the two lovers kiss. She wished that she could have switched places with Elizabeth for that one moment. As Jack sailed away be began singing and with the closing of his compass the movie was over.

Harry was curious as to why Jess had sighed. Did she want him to kiss her? His cheeks tinted red as he was snapped out of his thoughts when Jess turned and faced him. Shaking his head as if to clear his thought, Harry looked at her. "Hey Jess."

"Hey, Harry. What did you think of your first movie theater experience?"

"I thought it was fantastic! It was the perfect choice, Jess." Harry laughed as he thought back to certain parts of the movie.

Jess smiled at him. "I'm glad; I thought it would be one that you would like, its one of my favorite movies. What are you laughing about?"

"I was just thinking back to the movie. It had all of the good elements that a movie needs. Whoever played Captain Jack Sparrow was brilliant."

"Yes, he is one of my favorite actors."

"What's his name?"

"Johnny Depp, he's one of the few American actors in this movie. Orlando Bloom and Keira Knightley who was Elizabeth are both from England."

"Ah, well I thought they were excellent. Can I ask you something?"

"Sure, what is it?"

"Orlando Bloom, do you like him?"

Jess lightly blushed. "Yeah, a lot actually. How did you notice?"

"When he came on the screen for the first time you smiled and got this dreamy look on your face."

"A dreamy look on my face?"

"Well you looked really happy to see him."

She laughed while she blushed. "Its no secret that I like him. He's one of my favorite actors, and he was one of my first real crushes."

Harry smiled at her. "So that's who I have to compete against for your affections? Hopefully magic will give me an advantage."

"Harry! Its just a crush. I'm never going to meet him."

"I wouldn't say never. I never thought I was going to escape the clutches of my aunt and uncle. Luckily I was wrong. It I had been right I never would have met you guys."

"I'm very glad you were wrong. You know I never would have thought I'd be here. I had no idea that I would be in Scotland attending a school that taught me about magic. Its safe to say I was very surprised when I got me acceptance letter."

"So was I. My uncle tried as hard as he could to make sure I didn't get to read the letter, like I would give up or Hogwarts for that matter. There were so many owls sending letters we could have drowned in all the letters."

This got a laugh out of Jess. "I highly doubt that."

"Okay maybe not, but it was insane. Uncle Vernon was on his toes constantly, it was almost like he thought the letters were going to self-destruct in his face."

She placed a hand over her mouth so she didn't burst out laughing. After a moment, Jess removed her hand. "That would have been funny."

Harry grinned and looked down at Jess. She was so beautiful. Her eyes sparkled as she looked up at Harry. He felt like the luckiest guy in all of Hogwarts at this moment. His arm rested on the back of her chair, his hand gently resting on her shoulder. What made him feel even better was that Jess seemed to be quite happy about his decision. As he gazed into her big, breathtaking emerald eyes, Harry slowly closed the distance in-between them.

Jess felt her heart beat quicken as Harry leaned in towards her. This was it, this was the big moment, their first kiss. Jess responded by leaning closer to him.

Harry felt his heart beating faster. He just hoped that Jess would agree with his decision. A smile broke out on his lips as Jess started to lean in closer to him.

Their los were an inch apart before they stopped moving. Jess looked up at Harry she he looked down at her. He searched her eyes for an answer. Did she really want this? He worried that he was moving too fast. After all, the events of his terrible date with Cho were still taunting him in the recesses of his mind. As he looked into her eyes, a certain sparkle showed in them. Harry knew this particular sparkle. It was reserved for when she was really happy. He felt his stomach flutter. This special way her eyes held and even deeper beauty was just for him this time. Usually it wasn't pin-pointed just at him. But this time it was, and it made Harry weak at the knees. It was a good thing he was sitting down.

The next moment happened in a flash. Harry took the final push forward and their lips lightly brushed against each other. Jess felt the butterflies in her stomach flutter. Harry's stomach meanwhile did a half turn. This kiss was by far the best either of them had ever experienced. It was moments like this that you never wanted to end. They stayed like this for about a minute before reluctantly pulling away. They looked at each other, reveling in the moment for as long as they could. A few minutes later, one of them had to say something.

Harry was the first one to speak. He brushed a piece of Jess' hair from her face. "I hope that wasn't too soon."

"No," Jess shook her head, "I thought that was the perfect moment."

"I thought so too." He smiled down at her. "I hope you liked everything. I wasn't sure how this would go since I don't know what the typical movie theater experience is like."

"It was perfect Harry. Don't worry about it. I thought everything went perfectly. You don't need to worry so much Harry." Jess lightly placed her hand on his arm. "I also thought that was the best way to end the night."

Harry grinned. "I'm glad we both agree on that. We should do this again sometime."

"Yeah, that would be great! Maybe one time we could have a bunch of us get together and watch a movie. I know Ron and Ginny haven't seen a movie before. Back at home my friends and I like to go to the movie theater and see a movie."

"That's a good idea. Hopefully we can convince them once Ron and Hermione aren't mad at us."

"I don't think it will be that much longer."

"I hope you're right, Jess."

"Hermione should snap out of it soon. She doesn't stay mad long."

"True, I hate to end this but we probably should start heading back."

"Sadly you're right." Jess got up and grabbed her drink and popcorn. Harry stood as well and left the basket. Dobby had told him, he could leave it there and it would return to its normal place. There was a garbage can by the door that Jess and Harry threw their garbage away in. Harry opened the door and Jess walked through. He followed her and the door shut behind them. As soon as it shut the door began to disappear. Harry slipped his hand into Jess' as they walked down the hall. They conversed as they walked back to the Gryffindor house. When they got to the picture of the Fat Lady, they stopped for a moment and faced each other.

"I really had a great time, Harry. Thank you for taking me out." Jess smiled up at him.

"It was my pleasure, Jess. Would you like to go out again sometime?"

"Of course I would!"

Harry couldn't help but grin. "When would you like to go out?"

"Um, how about next week sometime?"

"Sounds good."

"I figure we can figure out the details later."

Harry nodded. "Yeah that works."

"Well…" Jess trailed off.

"I'll see you tomorrow." Harry bent down and gave her a light goodnight kiss.

Jess blushed again. "Yeah." She said the password and the door swung open. "Goodnight." Jess then walked through the door and went up to the girl's dorms.

Harry watched Jess walk through the door before he walked in. He then went upstairs to the boy's dorms. When he got there he decided to start working on his Herbology. After about half an hour Harry decided that was enough. He pulled out his pajamas. Once he had changed, Harry crawled into bed and took off his glasses. He spent a good hour reflecting on how the night had gone. Once he analyzed the date properly, Harry came to the conclusion that the date was successful. Now all he had to do was make sure that all further dates went as well or better. Harry then closed his eyes and fell asleep.

Jess had gone up to her room as happy as could be. The date had gone very well. She could see this working out. Jess really liked Harry and was glad that he felt the same way about her. She smiled as she changed into her pajamas. Soon enough Jess was fast asleep in her bed.

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Alright chapter twenty-six is up! I know its a shorter chapter and all but I thought this was the perfect place to cut it. I have some big stuff coming up soon, including a Draco and Jess moment. I'm not sure when exactly, but I know its coming up sometime. Also, I'd like to mention that my internet is not working so I'm at a Caribou Coffee typing this up so you can read it. I think the problem will be fixed on Sunday or something like that. So thats not too long! I'll probably type a chapter up in the meantime or write some more. I'm a tad stuck on what Im writing right now. It should be easy enough to overcome though. As always, please review! Its very important for me to get your feedback! And yes, I know the lack of Draco and Jess together is an issue. I know this, and I'm working on it much later on in my writing, right about where I'm writing actually. The Harry and Jess relationship does have a point, and its to irritate Draco. Once he figures it out that is. So please do review! Until next chapter, as always please review-Jess


	27. Reconciliation

Alright hello everyone and welcome to the next chapter! I would like to say thank you to all of you that reviewed last chapter and hopefully this chapter will be to everyone's liking. I have a feeling it will be. Which is fantastic! Before I start this chapter off I would like to say please read the Author's note I will be putting at the end of the chapter. This is in regards to reviews. Anyways, without further delay here is chapter twenty-seven! I do not own Harry Potter!

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The next morning Jess got up bright and early. She went over to her dresser and grabbed out her uniform and walked to the bathroom. A nice warm shower was just what she needed to wake her up. After fifteen minutes, Jess hopped out of the shower and got dressed. When she was dressed, Jess walked back into their room to see a bushy haired girl sitting on her bed.

"Hermione?" Jess asked as she walked over to her.

"Hey, Jess" Hermione replied.

"Is something wrong?"

"No, I just wanted to apologize for how I've been acting the past few days." Hermione looked up from her hands in her lap.

"Oh. Well…" Jess trailed off.

"I know it wasn't that smart, and I shouldn't be mad at you and Harry. I'm really sorry and I understand if you're mad at me."

"Hermione, I know you were upset." Jess said while sitting down. "I forgive you."

"Really?!" Hermione gave her a big hug. "I really appreciate it Jess. I know I don't deserve it for how I was acting."

"I understand, we just want you back. Harry and I miss you."

"Thanks Jess. I missed you guys too. Are you talking to Ron yet?"

"Nope. He's still mad. He'll probably snap out of it soon. Or one can hope."

"Yeah… So how have you and Harry been?"

"Oh, we're alright. Nothing new, just the usual stuff, keeping up with homework and what not. Harry's been keeping busy with Quidditch. What have you been up to?"

"Just busy with classes, getting prepared for out Defense Against the Dark Arts and Potions tests next week."

"Oh yeah, I had forgotten about those."

"Well, now we can study together!"

"Sounds good. Speaking of that though, we should probably head to breakfast."

"I'm just going to grab my books and I'm ready" Hermione replied. She got up and grabbed her books. Jess smiled and grabbed her books as well. They went downstairs to see Harry walking down as well.

"Hey Harry!" Hermione exclaimed as Harry walked over.

"Hey Hermione…" He replied, not knowing what else to say.

"I wanted to apologize for the last few days." She looked down at her hands.

"Its alright 'Mione, I forgive you."

Hermione simply beamed as she hugged Harry. "I missed you two."

"We missed you too." They all walked down to breakfast together. Jess and Hermione sat next to each other and Harry sat across from them.

"So, Harry have you started studying for our Defense Against the Dark Arts and Potions tests yet?" Hermione asked while pouring some orange juice.

"Uh, no I haven't yet" Harry confessed.

"You really should soon though. They're both on Wednesday!"

"That's what the weekend is for." Jess butted in.

"After Quidditch practice." Harry reminded her while biting into a piece of toast.

"Yes of course. When is your practice again?"

"Eight to ten in the morning."

"Oh that shouldn't be a problem. I'll probably be asleep through most of your practice."

"What time should we meet up then?" Came Hermione's reply.

"How about we meet here for lunch at noon and then we study after that until dinner." Jess suggested as Harry resigned his fate of having to study most of tomorrow.

"Sounds great, Jess. We better head to class though." With that Hermione stood up and collected up all her books. Harry and Jess followed suit. They all walked down the steps to the grounds for their first class, which was Care for Magical Creatures. As they approached they saw their fellow sixth year Gryffindor's, and much to their displeasure, sixth year Slytherin's.

A particular fair haired boy noticed the trio appear. A perfectly executed scowl was on his face, which was contraire to what he was really feeling. To the surprise of everyone, if they knew, Draco was slightly relieved to see the three Gryffindor's trounce over. This meant that Anderson was safe from another Slytherin who had his eyes on her. His name was Blaise Zabini. To Draco it was even better that Granger was with her and Potter. Whatever problem they had, had before was fixed. He quickly looked over at Zabini to see what he thought of the ordeal.

It was safe to say that Zabini was most likely not happy with Hermione in good graces with Jess again, it meant that there was one more person standing between him and his prize. He hid his inner frustration quite well, and just looked indifferent. Draco didn't have the time to further think this through as Hagrid walked up.

"Good morin'" He bellowed cheerfully. "I got a real treat fer yeh today. Everyone follow me." Hagrid then turned and walked over to the back of his house. It seemed like he was stomping due to his size, but in reality he was just walking. When everyone rounded the side and reached the backyard, Hagrid faced them. "I'll get 'em." He then walked into his hut and shut the door.

"Wonder what it is this time." Jess summed as they waited.

"It has to be something dangerous. Can't be a Hippogriff. A Dementor perhaps?" Harry shuddered at his own suggestion. He wasn't fond of Dementors, not after what happened third year.

"Maybe he's learned his lesson and has something that's tame." Or at least Hermione hoped so.

"Doubt it Hermione, this is Hagrid we're talking about."

"You'd think he would have learned by now. What with Norbert and then Buckbeak."

"As long as we don't have to learn about Blast-Ended-Screwts again."

"Look, here he comes!" Hermione elbowed Harry. Jess was already watching the door when she saw it open a crack before finally it was wide open and Hagrid was leading out three animals on leashes. The girls all squealed with delight while this boys showed slight interest as the four legged creatures halted.

"These I'm sure many of yeh have seen, but I'm sure many of yeh haven't seen 'em. Does anyone know what they're called?" Hagrid asked while holding onto the leashes.

Hermione's hand was the first one up. "They're called Kneazles."

"Very good 'Mione. Five points ter Gryffindor." Hagrid beamed as he shifted the leashes into his other hand.

The Kneazles looked quite a bit like cats except for a few slight differences. For instance the ears were oversized. The tails on the Kneazles were more plumed at the very tip much like a lion. The other differences were not physically noticeable. While the normal cat was intelligent, Kneazles were very intelligent. A prime example was Hermione's Kneazle, Crookshanks.

One of the Kneazles was solid gray in color. It sniffed around and went over to Lavender, Ron, Parvati, Seamus, Dean and Neville. Another one was mostly black in color with a few distinct white spots. This one decided to scope out the Slytherin's. As it approached Zabini it hissed and bit him on the hand.

"Ouch you stupid animal!" Zabini yelled and hit the Kneazle as it slunk away from him. Draco couldn't help but chuckle inside.

_At least it also recognized Zabini's distrustful nature, _he thought to himself as it cautiously approached him. The Kneazle sniffed Draco's hand and then distastefully walked away. Draco smirked; at least he didn't get bit by the thing.

The third and final Kneazle was orange and white in color. It walked over to Jess, Harry and Hermione. Jess grinned, "He's cute!" She held out her hand for the Kneazle to sniff. The Kneazle then proceeded to sniff her hand for a minute. Once it was done, the Kneazle grinded its face up against her hand. Jess smiled and pet the full length of the Kneazles body while sitting down so she was more at the Kneazles level. It began to purr a low pitch that sounded like a motor. "I think he likes me." Jess commented while looking up at Harry and Hermione.

Hermione sat down next to her and held out her hand for approval. "It definitely looks like it." She too got the okay from the Kneazle. A second later Harry sat down too, to get examined by it. He passed and scratched behind its ear. After a couple minutes the Kneazle crawled up into Jess' lap and curled up into a ball.

"I think he can tell I'm a cat person." Jess laughed while petting him. "After all I have three like him at home. They actually kind of look like him too."

Hagrid walked over to check on them. He couldn't have been more pleased with how the Kneazle was curled up in Jess' lap. "Looks like he likes yeh, Jess. Maybe yeh would want to keep him?"

She looked up at him. "I don't know what my parents would think of that. Maybe someday when I'm on my own."

The Kneazle batted at a lock of Jess' russet with highlights of orche hair. Hagrid roared with laughter. "Alright, class is wrappin' up, so I can take him from yeh."

"Alright." Jess, Harry and Hermione all gave the Kneazle one last pet before Jess handed him to Hagrid. Once Hagrid had rounded them all up he brought the class all together.

"Great job today! I know this is a bit of short notice but we'll be havin' a test next Friday. I'd also like yeh to write a ten inch essay on Kneazles for next time we meet, class dismissed." They all went back into the castle and headed to lunch since that had been double Care for Magical Creatures.

The events at lunch were an indication of how normal and ordinary the day was. The highlight of lunch was the ongoing spectacle of Ron and Hermione being upset with each other. While Hermione was talking with Harry and Jess, Ron was not. He was still busy occupying his time by flirting with Lavender Brown. In fact that's what he was doing at lunch. Ron was sitting back in a cool fashion and talking with Lavender about something that was most likely not important. She sat very close to Ron and giggled annoyingly in all the right placed. Hess and Harry ignored it, but it proved to be quite difficult for Hermione. She ground her teeth and stabbed her green bean violently, which caused a horrible scrapping sound on her plate. Jess cringed as she took the fork from Hermione, who didn't notice as she gave Ron and Lavender a death glare. Jess cleared her throat, "Hermione?" After nudging her slightly, Jess had gotten her attention.

Hermione turned and faced her. "Yes?"

"Just ignore them" Jess replied.

"Ignore who?" She acted as though her one way stare down had not just happened.

"That's right." Jess said while patting Hermione's back

Just then Ron had said something that struck Lavender as gut-bustlingly funny. Both she and Ron exploded in laughter. Ron was clutching his sides as Lavender wiped tears from her eyes. This outburst had gotten the attention of the entire Gryffindor table, as well as the one right next to theirs which was Ravenclaw.

After a moment of this, Jess stood. Her hands were placed firmly on the table as she looked over at Ron and Lavender. Ron noticed and looked at her while still laughing. Remembering that he wasn't speaking with her, he then turned away. This was the last straw. Jess slammed her fist on the table, over turning her goblet in the process towards the middle of the table. She winced as her fist laid there. Luckily this had gotten Ron's attention if for a few seconds. "Will you just shut up?! If you like her so much than just ask her out already! I speak for everyone when I say that we are sick of watching you two flirt! Its sickening! If you need to display your affections so badly do it where no one else can see you! Do us all a favor!" As soon as she was done talking, Jess flicked her wand to clean up her mess and then grabbed her belongings and left.

Harry merely blinked. Hermione's mouth resembled an o. They both stood and went after Jess, with a certain redhead following them. Ginny caught up with them quickly. "Wow, she totally just laid into Ron!" Was all she could think to say. "That was amazing; I couldn't have done better myself!" Ginny grinned as they ran down the hall.

"She probably didn't need to of that overboard, but at least she held his attention and got her point across." Harry commented as they rounded a corner.

"You sometimes need to be that precise and over the top for him to get it. I thought Jess did it nicely."

Hermione remained quiet the entire journey. She wondered why Jess had shouted at him like that. It did make her feel better though. Hermione had wanted to do the exact same thing but had been too infuriated with him to even bother with him.

They soon caught up to Jess who had sprinted up to their next class, History of Magic. To say the least, professor Binns was mildly surprised to see a student early to his class. He was even a little more surprised when five minutes later; three students came running in after her. He floated around his desk creepily as the students walked over to Jess.

"That was brilliant, Jess! Just what I think Ron needed to hear." Ginny replied with a grin on her face.

"Thanks I guess." Jess shrugged and grabbed out her notebook and placed it on the desk.

"You should have seen the look on his face after you left! It was pretty remarkable."

"Oh. Really?"

"Why are you so indifferent about it?" Ginny sat down in one of the empty desks.

Jess looked up at the redheaded girl and explained. "I probably just made things worse. Ron probably won't talk to us for months now."

"Hopefully you taught him to stop acting so immature."

"One can hope"

Hermione finally spoke up. "Why did you do it, Jess?"

She sighed and looked over to Hermione. "I did it because I saw how upset he was making you. He was never going to realize it until someone told him. Even if I came across too blunt, it was the only way I could think of to make sure it sunk into his thick skull, or had a chance anyway."

Hermione smiled at her and enveloped her in a hug. "Thanks Jess."

Jess smiled back at her. "Anytime, 'Mione. He's just being a prat. Don't think its your fault at all, because it isn't. Understand?"

She nodded, "Yes I understand."

"Good, now class is about to start. Ginny, you should head to your class."

Ginny rolled her eyes. "Alright, I'm going."

"We'll see you later at dinner." Jess waved as Ginny left. Harry took his seat on the other side of Jess. They prepared themselves as best as they could before they plunged into the world that was the fine line between consciousness and comatose. Ron came in the room with Lavender at his side. He fully ignored his three best friends, while sitting as far away from them as he could manage. It didn't matter anyway, twenty minutes into the lecture he was out cold.

As soon as class was done the usual 'awakening' occurred and they all proceeded out of the classroom. Harry, Jess and Hermione made their way to their next class, Potions. They walked down the long flight of stairs to the dungeons. When they approached the bottom, they proceeded down the hall and towards professor Snape's classroom. All of the students were standing outside the door, signaling that either Snape had not let them in, or that he was not there yet. They waited there with their fellow sixth year Gryffindor's, as well as the sixth year Slytherin's.

A few minutes later, professor Snape came into view down the hall. He walked over to the classroom door and walked in first, his cloak billowing behind him. The students all filed in behind him. They went to their respected spots, Gryffindor or the left side of the room and the Slytherin's on the right. Snape turned around, behind his desk and faced all of them. "Before we begin, I would like to try something. Your partners today will be who you were partnered with for the project." Loud groaned came from some of the students, others didn't seem to mind. "Quiet." Came Snape's calm voice over the students. The students instantly shut up and went to go sit with their partners.

Jess reluctantly sat next to Draco. All Draco did was smirk. Well, this way he could keep an eye on her and know that Zabini wouldn't do anything. They both got out their cauldrons, parchment and books.

Snape tapped the board with his wand and the ingredients they needed showed up. "Before you mess up the potion and have it all over the floor, listen up. Today you and your partner will be creating the Shrinking potion. You can use it on yourself or on objects you do not wish to be seen. Between adding the second and third ingredient you must stir the contents of your potion three times clockwise, and once counter-clockwise. Before you decide to add the third ingredient, you need to add the leech juice one drop at a time until you have added one half of a container." He paused here to make sure everyone was writing this down. "Lastly, you will not be adding the final ingredient today. Before you start your exam on Wednesday, you will add the Shrivelfig and stir the potion twice. It will then sit until the end of class when you will bring a vile of the completed potion to me, with you and your partner's name on it." He then finished talking and sat in his chair.

The students then looked at the board and wrote down the ingredients and started working. Jess looked over at Draco. "Can we get along to finish this potion?"

Draco looked at her. "As long as you don't screw it up."

"I won't screw up the potion."

"Sure, whatever you say." He grabbed the necessary amount of caterpillar and put it in the cauldron.

Jess glared at him as she cut up the daisy roots. "Don't push me."

"Like I'd want to touch you." He retorted back.

"Be a nice ferret and be quiet." She added the daisy roots.

Draco's eyes narrowed, "Quiet mudblood." One the word had left his lips it felt odd, it felt… wrong for some reason. Draco made a mental note to come back to that later.

Jess looked up at him. "Listen, I'm not going to tolerate you calling me that anymore."

"Oh? And you think you can get me to stop?"

"Just shut up and stir the potion."

"Make me."

"Prick." She muttered while stirring the potion.

"What was that?" His voice sounded dangerously low.

"Nothing." Jess replied with a smile. "Do you have the leech juice?"

Draco produced the leech juice and added it like Snape had instructed them to. When he was done, Jess added the rat spleen. She looked down at the cream colored potion. "Is that how its supposed to look?" Jess grabbed her book and opened to the page that talked about shrinking potions. "Would you call that a cream color?" She asked Draco.

Draco looked at the potion and nodded. He then began to put his stuff away.

"Malfoy?" Jess asked as she looked at the potion.

He looked up from his book bag. "What?"

"Where are we supposed to store the potion until Wednesday?"

"In here I would think."

"Just on his desk or in a back room?"

"Back room. He does have other classes."

"True." Jess raised her hand and Snape came over. "Professor? Where are we supposed to put our cauldron it we're done?"

Snape looked at the potion in a judgmental way. It was the color it was supposed to be. "In my office" he replied.

"Should I put it in there?"

"Mr. Malfoy will do it." He didn't want the Gryffindor girl in there.

Draco stood and put the cauldron in professor Snape's office. He came back and sat down in his seat. Not three minutes later a loud explosion was heard. Jess jumped and grabbed the nearest person.

"Mr. Longbottom, what did you do this time?" Snape quickly made his way over to Neville and Pansy's table. A light pink goop was all over their workstation as well as them.

"I told him he added too much of the leech juice!" Pansy shrieked as she tried to get the junk off of her shoes.

Neville sat there stunned and afraid of what Snape might do to him. He was perfectly still as he sat there covered by the pink substance.

"Mr. Longbottom how much did you add?" Snape asked calmly, too calmly, which made Neville twitch.

"This… much." He held up the bottle that was between halfway and two-thirds gone.

"Detention. Monday night, my office, seven-thirty. Clean up this mess before you go, and it's a zero for the potion." Snape swept away and went to the front of the room. "To all of those who were competent even to follow the directions," he looked directly at Neville, "place your cauldrons in my office. For homework, write a foot long essay about the shrinking potion to be turned in to me on Tuesday at noon."

Jess exhaled and opened her eyes. "That scared me." She noticed she was holding onto someone's arm. Jess looked over and noticed it was Draco's arm.

Draco suppressed the blush that was threatening to show itself. Instead he had a scowl on his face. "Let go of me." He forced out.

Jess blushed and quickly let go. She grabbed her things and left as soon as the bell rang. Harry and Hermione soon caught up with her.

Draco sat there for a moment before getting up. He shook his head to clear his thoughts and grabbed his things. He headed for the Slytherin house, that being the last class of the day. Uttering the password, Draco walked into the Slytherin common room to instantly be latched on by Pansy.

"Oh, Drakie! It was terrible!" She sobbed while making sure he couldn't get away easily. "That stupid Squib! He must be an embarrassment to his entire family!"

"Pansy, when will you realize I don't care?" He replied flatly.

She looked at him hurt. "You don't mean that!"

"Yes, I do. Now get off!" He shrugged her off and went up to his room. Pansy flopped down on the couch and sobbed all over Zabini, who looked annoyed by how he had become her crying post. Draco didn't care though, just as long as Pansy wasn't bothering him. Plus it gave Zabini an obstacle to come over before continuing his hunt for the muggle-born witch. Which reminded him, why had the term mudblood, bothered him when he used it earlier? In fact he had just called Hermione that the day before and he hadn't seemed to mind then. Maybe it was just her, maybe Jess was the only exception to the rule. That had to be it. But this led him to another question. Why was there an exception? And why was it her? Was it perhaps because he had to live with her for six weeks? That was the only reason he could come up with. Draco sighed as he ran a hand through his vibrant hair. Anderson was changing him, and he wasn't sure if he liked it or not

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Author's Note: Chapter twenty-seven is up! Now I think that had elements of it that everyone would like. Mainly, Draco made an appearance as well as did some of our favorite professors. Plus! This was a longer chapter! Yay! Now here comes the part that isn't as fun. I know the last chapter wasn't exciting and what not, but I just wanted to put something up when I had no internet access so you guys could wade it out with me. I now have internet access so my updates should be, hopefully, no promises, sooner! So, here I ask you to PLEASE REVIEW if you read this chapter and you liked any part of it. No matter how big or small it was. Its important for me to get your imput, though I might not agree with it sometimes its still important. That being said, I am going to with hold further chapters until I get a decent amount of reviews on this chapter. Now I thought this chapter was fun and exciting! Not to mention long, so I think there will be enough here to review on! So, until next time, when that will be be I have no idea, depends on if people review or not. PLEASE REVIEW!-Jess


	28. A Halloween party?

First off I would like to start with giving you all a huge THANK YOU for reviewing! That was fantastic ladies and gentlemen! Now if we can only keep that momentum up we'll be in really good shape! I apologize for the long wait but well, I had stuff to do. And I will the next few days too. So don't expect another chapter right away, unless I decide to type up another one tonight. Who knows, I actually posted this at a reasonable hour for once. Well, as always, thank you all once again! And here we go with chapter twenty-eight! I do not own Harry Potter, for the twenty-eight time...

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Jess caught up with Ginny after Potions. "So how was History of Magic?" Ginny asked as they walked outside.

"Boring as usual. Ron snubbed us even more. Whatever I guess, his loss." Jess shrugged as they stopped and saw the redhead they were talking about, Lavender right beside him. "She's kind of the modern Yoko Ono."

"Who?" Ginny asked, looking absolutely confused.

"Have you ever heard of a band called the Beatles?"

"Uh… No."

"They were a very popular band from England in the sixties. They broke up and some people think that it was because of Yoko Ono, John Lennon's new girlfriend or wife or whatever she was."

"Ooh. Yeah that kind of applies here." Ginny laughed as they watched the pair in the distance.

"He'd be much better off with Hermione. They were made for each other, it they ever get over the arguing that is."

"That would be a miracle in of in itself."

"I say that Ron gets over his insecurities and jealousness and just ask Hermione out."

"It'll happen, Jess."

"Yeah, when pigs fly."

"This is the wizarding world you know? Pigs could already be flying somewhere and we just don't know it."

"It's a muggle figure of speech, Ginny."

"Muggle's are weird."

"I could say the same thing about witches and wizards."

"But then you'd be contradicting yourself." Ginny pointed out.

"And that's why I haven't." Jess responded while laughing.

Ginny joined her in laughing. "Maybe you have the weirdness of both."

"I'm in trouble then aren't I?"

"No, not necessarily."

Jess smiled, "Lets hope not." They both looked over to see Ron and Lavender flirting.

"Speaking of that…" Ginny looked at Jess.

"What?"

"How are you and Mystery man?"

"Oh, we're just fine."

"Really?"

"Yes, Gin."

"Who is it?'

"I'm not telling."

"Jess! You have to!"

"I don't have to do anything except die and pay taxes."

"What?" This got a funny look from Ginny, which made Jess laugh. "What are you talking about?"

"Well in all actuality that's all anyone has to do."

"You're weird."

"So are you."

"And this is why we get along."

Jess smiled, "Of course."

"So, who is it?"

"Ginny, for the last time, I'm not telling you."

"Why not" she whined.

"I don't see any reason to right now. I don't see any benefits from publicizing my romantic escapades."

"I'm going to figure it out you know?"

"I know you will, and not a minute before you're meant to."

Ginny sighed, "You're mean you know that?"

Jess laughed, "I've been told I can be." They continued this conversation for a while, while walking around outside on the cool breezy, October seventeenth, afternoon. They both they went to dinner, where Harry and Hermione already were. Ginny waved goodbye and went to go sit by Dean. Jess sat by Hermione and across from Harry.

"So, are you going to tell us what the meeting is about?" She asked Harry almost immediately.

"Meeting? What meeting?" Hermione asked while looking up from her plate.

"Harry has a meeting with Dumbledore tonight."

"What about?"

"No idea. Harry doesn't know either."

"Oh." Hermione looked over at Harry. "You have to tell us what goes on, Harry."

He nodded and looked over at Jess. "You mentioned that on purpose in front of 'Mione so I couldn't keep it a secret."

Jess grinned, "Yep."

"You're good."

"I know." She winked and began buttering her roll.

Dumbledore looked around the room and saw that almost all of the students were there. He then looked over at professor McGonagall and nodded. Professor McGonagall stood with her goblet and clunked her spoon against it. "Attention! May I have your attention please?" All of the students turned and paid attention. "Headmaster Dumbledore has an announcement to make." With that she sat down and Dumbledore stood.

Harry groaned which got him looks Jess and Hermione. "The last time he made an announcement around this time of the year it was about the Triwizard Tournament."

"Harry, its only been two years since the last one." Hermione reminded him. "Besides, they wouldn't host one when You-Know-Who is back."

"The last one he was around for, but gained an actual body he could sustain, 'Mione."

"Shh, he's about to speak." Jess chimed in as Dumbledore looked around the room.

"Good evening everyone. I hope that tonight's dinner is treating you well." He paused here and smiled. "As I am sure you all are aware of, Halloween is exactly two weeks from now." Murmurs were heard around the room. "On behalf of the staff I would like to announce that we will be having a party that evening. All of you are welcome to come, but you are not required to if you would rather study or catch up with your homework. We will have the Weird Sisters here for the evening and will be our musical entertainment. On the grounds there will be a large bon-fire, which will be supervised by none other than Hagrid. There you will be able to roast marshmallows and tell ghost stories. Here in the Great Hall will be a dance if you would like to dance. Otherwise you can hang out here and enjoy the delicious caramel apples and other candies the House Elves will be making for the event." Everyone was busy whispering about how fun this would be. "Though there is one catch if you wish to attend." All of the students looked back at Dumbledore. "This is a costume party." He smiled as his eyes twinkled. Some of the girls began to discuss ideas for cute costumes. "But you will not be able to choose your own costume." This shut up everyone that was talking. "Instead one of your fellow classmates from your same year and same house will choose for you. This will be decided by pulling a name out of a hat. If you get yourself, you must put your name back in and re-draw. You may not re-draw if you don't like who you get. That is all. Enjoy your dinner." He smiled again and sat down. The hall broke out into noise again as everyone was talking about the Halloween party.

"Well at least we don't have to worry about one of the Slytherin's drawing our name." Hermione replied as Harry buried his head in his arms. Surely someone was going to make him Voldemort. He just knew it.

"I already know who I'm going to be." He confessed in a defeated tone.

"Who?"

"Voldemort."

"Harry, be serious. No one is going to make you You-Know-Who." Hermione tried to reassure him.

"He's got a good point 'Mione." Jess butted in. "No one has seen him here except Harry and Dumbledore. Maybe a couple of the Slytherin's have, but they are going to want to see what he looks like."

"That's not helping Jess" Hermione commented.

"She's right though. I should just get use to it." Harry replied while sitting back up.

All of a sudden seven hats appeared along the length of the Gryffindor table. Jess looked over to the Ravenclaw table, which was next to theirs, to see that the same thing had happened. Craning her neck more, Jess noticed the same thing happened with both the Hufflepuff and Slytherin tables. The hats were all turned upside down as though the students could reach into them. On the brim of each hat there was a label. The label indicated which year the hat in question represented.

Hermione looked at the brim of the one that was closest to them. "Fourth year." She responded so both Harry and Jess knew.

Jess got up and walked over to the one by Seamus, Dean and Ginny. "Third year."

Harry got up and went the other direction toward a group of second years. They looked up at Harry and got out of his way. "Its over here guys." Soon all of the sixth years were congregated around it.

Parvati was the first one to pull a name from the hat. She looked at the name and laughed. "Are we supposed to tell everyone who we got?" She asked while hiding hers, just in case.

"Yes we're supposed to. How otherwise will people know who got them?" Jess responded as Ron drew from the hat.

"Oh right." Parvati looked down at her slip of paper. "Seamus, I got your name."

Seamus looked at her. "Okay. I was thinking maybe something cool like a zombie."

"I drew your name, Seamus. Meaning I get to chose."

"Don't I get any input?" He argued back.

"No."

Ron opened his and read the name. "Neville, I got your name."

Lavender pulled out a name and giggled. "I got your name Hermione."

Hermione knew that couldn't result well. She just nodded as she pulled out a slip of paper and read it. "I got your name Parvati."

Harry was hoping beyond hope that someone nice like Neville got his name. He pulled out a slip. "Lavender, I got your name." Harry said as he watched Dean pull out a piece of paper.

Dean looked over at Jess. "Hey Jess, I got your name."

Seamus was the next one to draw. "Looks like I got Ron."

Neville put his hand in and grabbed a piece of paper. He opened it. "I got your name Dean."

Harry's hopes of not being Voldemort were shattered. He went back to his spot at the table and played with his food.

Jess drew from the hat. She opened the slip of paper and grinned. Oh, this was going to be fun. Jess walked back over to where Harry was playing with his peas and Hermione was quietly eating. She sat back down in her spot, next to Hermione.

"Who did you get Jess?" She asked as soon as Jess had sat down.

Jess smiled and looked over at Harry. "Oh, I got someone that's going to be a lot of fun."

"Who?"

Jess looked back at Hermione. "Hey Harry?"

Harry looked up from his plate. "Yeah?"

"Did you figure out who got your name?"

"No, but whoever it was they're going to make me Voldemort."

"I wouldn't do that to you."

Harry looked at her surprised and relieved. "You got my name?"

"Yep!" She smiled at him. "Surprised?"

"Surprised? Try relieved!"

"I could still make you Voldemort you know."

He blinked. "But you said you wouldn't."

"I know, and I won't. I have something much better planned."

"Oh?"

"Yep, but I'm not going to tell you, yet."

Harry sighed and ran a hand through his raven black hair. "What can I do to convince you to tell me?"

"Convince me? Why Harry, I'm shocked you think that this is some sort of bribe."

He gave her a look that signaled he knew she wanted something. "What is it Jess?"

"Alright, ring. I want to know what happens at your meeting tonight with Dumbledore. I think I'm right in saying that Hermione wants to know too."

Hermione looked at Harry. "Jess is right, Harry. We can maybe help you if there is something you can't quite figure out. We just want to help."

Harry rubbed his forehead softly, before looking at the two inquisitor girls again. "Alright, but only under one condition."

"What's that?" Both of the girls asked at the same time.

"You need to keep this just between the three of us. No telling Ginny or anyone else."

"Understood." Jess commented while grabbing her goblet.

"Then I'll tell you, but I should get going. Dumbledore has already left and he expected me after dinner."

"We'll meet you in the common room later."

"Alright." Harry stood from his seat and walked out of the Great Hall.

"Jess?" Came Hermione's voice when Harry was gone.

"Yes, Hermione?" She looked over at the bushy haired girl.

"You never told Harry what you had in mind for his costume."

"It appears I didn't. Oh well. He'll learn in time.

"You planned that, didn't you?"

Jess simply grinned. "Well, I have to use my smart brain in different ways, don't I?"

She laughed at Jess' comment. "I suppose so." They finished dinner and went back to the Gryffindor tower.

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Ta da! Chapter twenty-eight is up! Well, now I have a question for you all. What do you think everyone is going to be? You have a lot of people to think about, as well as Draco's costume will be specifically mentioned. So give me your guys imput and tell me what you think! You don't have to guess everyone, but a logical guess for a couple people would be fantastic! Oh, also, the professors will be costumed. So you can guess them too! I know one of you in particular is dieing to know what Snape's costume is. So, let me know what you think they're going to be, and people I now know that you are all capable of reviewing. So please do review! It gives me more of an incentive to update faster! Well thats all for now, some of the costumes will be revealed right away, while others won't be, so you'll have to stay tuned. As always, PLEASE REVIEW!-Jess


	29. Harry's first meeting with Dumbledore

Hello everyone! It seems like its been such a long time since I've seen you all! I apologize for that but I really have been quite busy with work... Anyways, I think I'm going to have an author note at the end of this so please do read it. Anyways, I think you all again for your reviews! I do not own Harry Potter.

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Harry stood in front of the gargoyle statue that led to Dumbledore's office. After a moment he spoke the password. "Acid pops." The gargoyle moved aside and revealed a long staircase. Harry stepped onto the bottom step and the staircase began to move on its own. The staircase acted like an escalator and carried him to the very top of the stairs. Harry then stepped off and held the brass knocker on the door in his hands. He rapped the knocker on the door and waited for a response.

"Come in." Sounded Dumbledore's voice from the other side of the door.

Harry walked in and noticed the headmaster at his desk. "Good evening, sir."

Dumbledore smiled up at Harry from his seat. "Ah, good evening Harry. Please do sit down."

Harry sat down in the chair across from Dumbledore. "Sir?"

"Yes?" Dumbledore responded calmly.

"Can I ask what this meeting is about? Is it about the prophecy?"

"Yes, this does pertain to the prophecy."

"But I thought you said you told me everything about the prophecy." Harry said with a hint of frustration in his voice. Dumbledore had told Harry the prophecy at the end of last year. It was because of the prophecy that Voldemort had used the unguarded link, thanks to Harry bothering Snape, between their minds. This would have been better protected it Harry had not looked into Snape's pensieve, which contained some of Snape's worst memories, during their Occulmency lessons. The lessons would have been used to help Harry guard his mind from others prodding and probing into his mind. Because of the problems he had, had with Snape the lessons were cancelled by a rather irate Snape. Little did Harry know, how important those lessons would have been.

While Harry back in fourth year had discovered that once in a while he would get glimpses of what Voldemort was doing. The following year, Voldemort himself had discovered the link and used it to his advantage. In the Department of Mysteries, was where the prophecy was stored. Voldemort knew he wouldn't be able to get into it because it was in the Ministry of Magic, which is heavily against him and his followers. He had let Harry see a few things, like where the Department of Mysteries was inside the Ministry of Magic. This proved useful for Harry, as he was able to save Mr. Weasley's life, Ron and Ginny's father, by alerting Dumbledore immediately. But this link had also proven to be a trick. For Voldemort had implanted in Harry's mind that his godfather, Sirius Black, was being tortured there. On a wild goose chase Harry, accompanied by Ron, Hermione, Jess, Ginny, Luna Lovegood and Neville Longbottom, left Hogwarts on winged beasts named Theastrals, which can only be seen by people who have saw people die. Only Luna and Harry could see them. Luna, having saw her mother die, and Harry, having saw Cedric Diggory, a Hufflepuff who was two years older, the same year as Ron and Ginny's twin brother's Fred and George Weasley, die at the end of Harry's fourth year. This happening at the third and final task of the Triwizard Tournament, which Harry and Cedric had been part of. That had been the night when Voldemort regained his power and human form.

The group rode the Theastrals to the Department of Mysteries in search of Sirius. This led them to the exact spot the prophecy was held in an orb. As soon as Harry grabbed it, Voldemort's Death Eaters arrived. A long battle progressed, in which the Order of the Phoenix, wizards and witches against Voldemort, which Dumbledore was the head of came and fought. Such people as Mad Eye-Moody, ex-Auror, their third year Defense Against the Dark Arts teacher, Marauder, makers of the Marauder's map, and friends of Harry's parents and Sirius Black, Remus Lupin, Tonks, Kingsley Shacklebolt, as well. Sirius fought valiantly against his cousin, one of Voldemort's biggest supporters, Bellatrix Lestrange. In the end Sirius fell into the veil and was never seen again, gone forever. Harry remembered that night oh too well.

But this prophecy was what this was all about. This prophecy was why Harry Potter's parents were killed. The prophecy was made in the Hog's Head, a bar in Hogsmeade, by no other than professor Trelawney, as Dumbledore was conducting a job interview. The prophecy said this:

_The one with the power to vanquish the Dark Lord approaches…Born to those who have thrice defied him, born as the seventh month dies… And the Dark Lord will mark him as his equal, but he will have power the Dark Lord knows not… And either must die at the hand of the other for neither can live while the other survives…The one with the power to vanquish the Dark Lord will be born as the seventh month dies…_

This was Harry, but it might not have been, but Voldemort had made it Harry. You see there was another boy, born July 31st as well, his parents had also escaped Voldemort three times, and his name was Neville Longbottom. But the reason why it was Harry and not Neville was because Voldemort was the one to mark Harry as his equal. This was why Harry's parents were killed. An eavesdropper had only heard the first part of the tale and told his master, Voldemort. The reason why Voldemort was desperate to have Harry get the orb for him was so that he could hear the final half of the prophecy. For Harry, this whole experience and being told the prophecy, changed his life.

"Ah, so I thought I did at the time." Came Dumbledore's answer.

Harry looked at the headmaster with a puzzled look. "What do you mean, sir?"

"From this point on I am not sure if this is true. But we will be delving into what I think might be useful information. Harry, I might be wrong.

"But you think that you're right" Harry asked.

"Yes I do, but I do make mistakes."

"Sir, what is this going to have to do with the prophecy? Will it help me survive this war?" Harry looked concerned and wondered is he should be there.

"As I said before it does have to do with the prophecy." Dumbledore responded calmly. "I do hope it will help you, Harry." Dumbledore then stood and walked away from his desk and Harry. Harry turned and watched him. When Dumbledore came back to the desk he was holding the familiar basin that he had looked into, in fourth year. It was Dumbledore's pensieve. Dumbledore placed it on the desk. Harry didn't look pleased to see the pensieve as both of his previous attempts with it weren't that pleasant, mainly his last encounter with it.

Dumbledore got his attention with a gentle voice. "You will be going in with me, and with permission."

"Where will we be going sir?"

"Inside a memory of a man named Bob Ogden." Dumbledore pulled out a small bottle from his pocket.

"Who is he?"

"He used to work for the Ministry of Magic, for the Department of Magical Law Enforcement. He is now since passed away, but not before I convinced him to give me this." He replied, referencing to the bottle. Dumbledore then tried to take the stopper off the bottle, but had difficulty with his charred looking hand.

"I can do it sir." Harry offered, not liking to see him struggle.

"No matter." Dumbledore pulled out his wand and took it off.

"Sir? How did that happen to your hand?" Harry asked while looking at his hand with a distasteful look and concern laced underneath.

"That is not relevant at the moment, Harry." Dumbledore poured the contents into the pensieve. "After you."

Harry bent forward and stuck his head in the pensieve, Dumbledore following after him. They saw a stumpy little man wearing extremely large glasses, hiding his eyes behind them, which made Harry wonder if they were even there. The little man stood by a sign that read one way, Great Hangleton, 5 miles, the other direction read Little Hangleton, 1 mile. The little man was Bob Ogden. It was a beautiful summer afternoon as Bob walked towards the town of Little Hangleton. Harry and Dumbledore followed him down the steep hill. Bob took a detour, just outside of the little town, down a small rocky dirt road. After a short while he stopped, which made Harry and Dumbledore stop behind him. Bob pulled out his wand. He approached the house that was on its last leg. You could see the rafters in some places because the tiles had fallen off. The house looked green on the outside because of the moss that had grown from lack of upkeep. Harry thought that there was no way someone would live there. He spoke too soon as the window opened and for a brief moment he could see a figure inside the house. Bob quickly moved to the front door, which had a dead snake nailed to it.

There was a rustle from one of the nearby trees and a man dropped out of the tree. The man's clothes were tattered and reduced to rags that covered two-thirds of what they had been originally capable of. The man landed right in front of Ogden, who stumbled backwards in fear.

"You're not welcome." The man hissed. He took a step forward into the light so Harry could get a better look at him. The man's hair was black, caked with so much dirt. His eyes were small and beady, making the man look even more frightening. Poor Bob Ogden tried to start a conversation, telling the person where he was from. All he got was the answer, "You're not welcome," before he could finish explaining why he was there.

"I don't understand what you're saying." Ogden replied rather nervously.

"Do you understand him Harry?" Dumbledore turned and asked.

"Yeah, I can. But why can't Ogden? Is he speaking Parseltongue?"

Dumbledore nodded, "Yes."

The man had pulled out his wand and a crimson coated knife. He began pursuing Ogden who was slowly retreating backwards. A loud bang sounded and Ogden was on the ground. He tried to squirm backwards while pleading with the man.

"Morfin!" Yelled the voice of a man who came into view from inside the cottage. This man was older and shorter, his hair dirt-free, and a wrinkled face. He stopped by the man with a knife and laughed at Ogden on the ground. "Ministry?"

"Yes!" Ogden stood up and looked at the pair irritably. "And you are Mr. Gaunt?"

"That's right." Gaunt replied shortly.

Ogden quickly took his wand and fixed his nose before continuing to speak. Gaunt looked at the man with the knife and ordered him into the house in Parseltongue. Morfin didn't want to go inside, but the threatening glare he got from his father, he trotted inside.

"I'm here to see your son, actually." Ogden replied, finding his voice. "That's Morfin, am I right?"

"Aye, that's Morfin." Gaunt replied as if forced. "You a pure-blood?" His voice sounded more threatening.

"That has nothing to so with this. Lets go inside and discuss this further" Ogden suggested.

"What for?"

"I told you I am here for your son. I sent an owl."

"I don't use owls, don't open letters."

"Well if you don't answer your mail then you can't blame me for coming out here myself." Ogden seemed to become more irritated by the minute.

"Alright! Get in the bloody house then!" Gaunt snapped and stalked inside the house. When they walked in Harry noticed another person was in the house, by the open window. This was a young woman, dressed in a raggy grey dress; her eyes were the same as Morfin's. She looked utterly defeated in appearance.

"My daughter, Merope." Gaunt grumbled, as Bob looked over at her.

The girl didn't answer but looked scared as she went back to what she was doing.

"Mr. Gaunt, I'm here because it is believed that your son used magic in front of a muggle last night." Ogden had launched into his what seemed pre-prepared speech.

A loud clang sounded as Merope dropped a pot. "Pick it up you worthless brat! Use your wand; don't grovel on the ground like a filthy muggle!" Gaunt snapped at her. Ogden looked shocked at this outburst as Merope used her wand but failed in picking it up. The pot cracked instead. "Fix it you worthless lump!" Gaunt screamed at her. "Maybe the nice man from the Ministry will take you off my hands."

Ogden continued talking with Mr. Gaunt on how his son had broke wizarding law by harming the muggle and was to be summoned for a hearing. Mr. Gaunt was outraged and found it rubbish, and told Ogden that Morfin wasn't going anywhere because he had done nothing wrong. He then proceeded to defend himself and question how dare this man treat them like trash, because they were the last living descendents of Salazar Slytherin, one of the four founding fathers of Hogwarts. Gaunt showed him his ugly black ring and almost choked Merope in the process of showing Ogden Salazar's locket that Merope wore. While the argument continued they heard the sound of a horse drawn carriage outside.

A handsome young man and his beautiful guest went by. The man's name was Tom Riddle. Morfin alerted his father that Merope favored the muggle man. This sent Gaunt over the edge; he grabbed Merope and began to choke her. The memory ended with Ogden screaming no, and shooting off a spell.

Harry looked at Dumbledore as soon as they were out of the pensieve. "Did the girl survive?"

"Oh, don't worry, she survived, Ogden quickly apparated back to the Ministry and brought people back with him to the cottage. Morfin and his father put up a fight but were soon taken away. Morfin was sentenced to three years in Azkaban, for already having a record for hurting muggles. Marvolo, received six months."

Harry's head snapped up at the name Marvolo. Voldemort's name, he had discovered back in second year was Tom Marvolo Riddle. "Marvolo? Do you mean?"

"Marvolo is Voldemort's grandfather, the three of them, Marvolo and his children were the last of the Gaunts, which is a very old wizarding family, all pureblood."

"So, Merope is Voldemort's mother?" Harry asked, being a little shocked.

"If you remember we also saw Voldemort's father as well."

"The man on the horse?"

"Very good, that was Tom Riddle senior. A handsome muggle who used to ride by their cottage and Merope was enamored with."

"They got married?" Harry asked while looking at Dumbledore. That seemed highly unlikely.

"Ah, but you forget, Merope is a witch. I believe her powers were not to her best ability while her father was around. When her brother and father had been arrested not long after Merope and Tom Riddle ran away together. Can you think of a way Merope could make Tom Riddle fall in love with her?" Dumbledore replied as he watched Harry think it through.

"The Imperius curse or a love potion."

"I venture to think it was the later. The town was shocked when Tom had run away with her. But this was nothing to when Marvolo came home and she was not there. Only a note was left there for him. He did not live to see Morfin come back to the cottage. Three months after Merope and Tom had run away, Tom came back to the village, claiming he had been under some sort of trance. When, what I think happened is when Merope became pregnant, she felt bad for still keeping him under the potion, and stopped giving it to him. I think she thought that Tom would have grown to love her and stayed. This was not the case, however."

"Did Merope die shirt after she had Voldemort? Didn't he grow up in an orphanage?"

"Yes indeed. But I do think that is enough for tonight."

"Yes, sir." Harry got to his feet. "Sir? Am I allowed to tell, Jess, Ron and Hermione?"

"Yes, I think all three of them have proved themselves trustworthy. But do not tell anyone else."

"No sir. I'll just tell them." Harry then turned to leave. As he walked to the door he noticed a familiar black ring that was cracked down the stone, on a small table.

"Sir." Harry said while looking at it. "Is that ring?"

"Yes" Responded Dumbledore.

"Isn't that the same ring Marvolo Gaunt showed Ogden?"

Dumbledore nodded his head. "The very same."

"But… Have you always had it?"

"No, I acquired it shortly before I came and got you from your aunt and uncle's."

"That was around when you injured your hand, isn't?"

"Yes, around that time."

"Sir, how did…"

"That's enough for now, Harry. You will hear the story later. Good night."

"Goodnight sir." Harry walked slowly to the Gryffindor Tower, while pondering all that had happened, when he got inside, Jess and Hermione where the only ones left in the common room. Almost instantly Harry was pressured to launch into what had happened. When he was finished telling them, they had a long discussion about what it might have meant. They came to no real conclusion as they all went to their rooms and went to bed.

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Author's Note: Alright so chapter twenty-nine is up. Though I have to say this is one of my least favorite chapters. Why you ask? One, because there is no Draco in it. Two, there is hardly as Jess in it. And three, those meetings are a pain to write, you can't really expand on them and they have some important information in them so I had to go open up HBP and heavily use it in this chapter. Know that I don't do that in any of my other chapters, just these pensieve ones because well, there isn't much to add but it all needs to be said. Why it needs to be said is because how the heck otherwise is everyone going to know whats going on in regards to Voldemort. He is the main villian so we all need to know some background info, and you know, the further pensieve meetins reveal more and an actual possible way to destroy Voldemort. So thats my reasoning and I'm sticking to it. That being said, again, sorry for the long delay. They had me working this first week of my stop like a ton. So after work I'm pretty dead and don't want to do anything except veg so that's why I haven't updated. Though, today I have a day off, and tomorrow as well. And my next few days of work are no where near as many hours so I'll have some time to update stuff! If I get enough reviews tonight for this chapter I might just type up another chapter tonight and put it up as well. We'll have to see how the reviewing goes. Also, I thought some of you would enjoy this, but theres this really cute guy at my work that kinda reminds me of Draco... Haha! Well, yeah, it keeps me entertained... So, now that you have read this extremely long author's note, PLEASE REVIEW, as always. Until next chapter, where I'm positive at least one of the main characters will be in it more, please review!-Jess


	30. Girls and Boys

Alright everyone! As I promised a quick update! Yes this chapter is a really long. But I guess I feel like making it up to you guys for the crappy chapter last time. Sorry, to you all, but I wrote another one like it so eventually you will have to suffer through that one as well. Just humor me though and then I'm only going to briefly go over Horcruxes later on, since heck, those are important and none of you can deny that. But you've been spared from ALL of the meetings. Now, anyways, I know most of you are going to ask where Draco is in this chapter, but never fear! He's in the next one. Also, the next one will be there much awaited Hogsmeade visit! In this chapter two of the character's costumes will be revealed so that is an extra added bonus! I will be placing an author's note at the bottom of this chapter so please, do read it. Now for the disclaimer, I do own Harry Potter, Playstation, Nintendo or X-Box. Yes they do get mentioned.

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The next week went by as a blur. The sixth year Gryffindor's had three tests during the week. On Wednesday they had both a Defense Against the Dark Arts test as well as a Potions test. Hermione had made sure that her, Jess and Harry were more than prepared for the two tests. After taking their Potions test, Harry wasn't sure if he had done all, that he could have done to prepare for the test. Hermione talked about certain material that was not put on the test. She sounded as though she was disappointed and wanted the test to be twice the size it already was. Harry and Jess never did understand it. On Thursday it was made clearly known to the students, that this weekend was a Hogsmeade weekend. Delighted at the news that Hermione was talking to them again, Ginny made plans for the three girls, plus Jess' friend Rachel, to have a girl's afternoon at Hogsmeade. The girls all agreed to meet up at the Three Broomsticks at noon. This would give Ginny time with her boyfriend Dean, and Jess time with her boyfriend, Harry. Still in the midst of all the tests they had that week; Harry and Jess were able to have a date on Thursday night. Friday morning rolled around the corner and they had their last test of the week, Care for Magical Creatures. Hagrid's tests were always fair and didn't seem to cause anyone trouble if they reviewed over what they had covered. Once they were done with the test, they went to their remaining two classes of the day, History of Magic, and Potions. At the last minute possible before class ended, Snape assigned them a two foot essay that was due on Wednesday.

Harry grumbled as they walked out of Potions. "Doesn't he realize that the essay is due on the day of Halloween?"

"Of course he does, Harry. That's why he made it due then. Snape knows that we'll be spending the entire weekend getting our costumes together and won't have much time to write an essay. Let alone a two foot essay." Jess responded as they made their way back to the Gryffindor Tower.

"To be fair Jess, he probably had the assignment figured out before he knew of the costume party." Hermione responded casually.

"I doubt it 'Mione. Speaking of the party, have you figured out what Lavender wants you to be?"

Hermione looked annoyed at the very mention of Lavender's name. "Yes, she told me on Wednesday."

"Oh, what are you going to be?" Little did Jess know that this would set Hermione off.

"She wants me to be a librarian! I know she's just trying to get a jab at me. If she spent half the time I did studying, she'd pull her grades up." Hermione snidely remarked.

Jess placed a gentle hand on her shoulder. "She's just immature, 'Mione. She's probably just jealous of you and wants to make you feel bad about the fact that you read a lot. Trust me, I could think of a lot of things to say to her about how she acts. But that wouldn't do any good. By getting riled up you're letting her win. You're better than that and you know it."

Hermione smiled at her. "You're right Jess. There's just something about her that bothers me. Its hard to explain it but its just been this year that she's bothered me."

"You're not the only one. Ever since we started the project she'd been extremely selfish and clingy to Ron. She's acting like she owns Ron. A week ago she made a comment about how we hog all of Ron's time, which I find really funny."

"Why do you find that funny?"

"Ron chose to hang out with us. Lavender made it sound like we had a gun to his head or something. I also find it funny that before the start of this year she didn't care about Ron really at all. Now within a matter of weeks she's become possessive of him."

"I can see where she is coming from. When we're getting along, Ron is fun to be around. Even if sometimes he seems to be hurtful. I know he doesn't mean it." She looked over at Jess. "I know deep down he does care. He's also not bad looking. Its endearing when he gets that boyish grin on his face. I wish sometimes I could be a little more carefree like him." She smiled while thinking of him. "He just does it for me when I can't, even if it drives me up a wall."

Jess just smiled and listened to her. A smile crossed her lips as she listened. Jess had known that Hermione liked Ron, it was so obvious. Everyone could tell except herself and Ron. It only someday they'd realize that they were waiting for each other. It was so frustrating to Jess and Harry as they watched what they knew would eventually happen get prolonged by their stubbornness. "You like him don't you 'Mione?"

Her head snapped up from her thoughts and looked at Jess. Hermione's cheeks were starting to grow red. "Well of course I do. He's one of my best friends."

"That's not what I meant."

"Then I don't know what you're talking about."

"Hermione don't play dumb with me. Its apparent that you like Ron as more than a friends."

"What? Jess you're not making any sense. Ron and I are friends."

"You can't fool me. You love Ron."

"I what?!"

"You love him!"

"As a brother!"

"No, 'Mione, as more."

"And you're the one to decide that for me?"

"No, I'm not, but you already have for yourself."

"I… I do not!" Hermione was able to splutter out.

"You keep telling yourself that. You're just fooling yourself."

"Jess, how can you say that?!"

Jess didn't answer for a couple minutes. She tried to think of the best way to put it. "Do you really want to know?"

"Yes, otherwise I wouldn't have asked."

"Alright, but you asked." She ran a hand through her hair before continuing. "Why I say that is because I can see it. I see the way you look at Ron sometimes. The way you smile when he compliments you, its obvious it means a lot to you. You don't get the same look when either Harry or I do."

"Well you're wrong!" Hermione yelled back. "I don't like him like that. And even if I did it wouldn't make any difference."

Jess gave her a puzzled look. "Why's that?"

"Because I know he doesn't feel that way about me" She said just above a whisper. Her tone made it evident that is hurt her that Ron didn't, which proved it even more that she actually did feel that way about him. Tears began to prick at her eyes as Hermione looked away from Jess and down the hall.

"Hermione…" Jess took a step towards her and then stopped.

"I don't want to talk about it anymore." Her answer was stiff.

"Alright." A sad frown was on Jess' face. She walked up to Hermione and encased her in a hug. "I'm sorry; I shouldn't have brought it up."

Jess let go of her and looked at her. "No its not alright. Ron's not acting like your friend. He's acting like an immature child. Someday Hermione, Ron will realize how stupid he is being."

She smiled slightly. "I hope so."

"'Mione, I know so. It'll just take him a while. Don't give up on him yet."

"I haven't Jess. Thanks for cheering me up."

Jess smiled. "What are friends for? Come on, lets go finish our Arithmancy for Monday. I know if we don't do it now we'll forget about it, or at least I will."

Hermione nodded in agreement. "I agree. Lets do it in the library." They both went up to the Gryffindor tower and up to their form that they shared. Lavender was in the room looking in a mirror. She was making herself look more 'beautiful'. Jess just thought it looked like she was caking on more make up, which of course that's all Lavender was doing. Jess snorted as she grabbed her Arithmancy and left. When they were a safe distance away Jess spoke. "I didn't think it was possible to put on that much make up."

Hermione laughed but then stopped quickly. "She could put on a lot more than that. It doesn't look too bad."

"Who are you trying to kid?" One of Jess' eyebrows was slightly raised. "That's far more make up than any sixteen year old needs, and you know it."

She merely shrugged. "What was that about not sinking down to her level?" A small smile was placed on her lips.

"Oh come on Hermione!" Jess couldn't help but laugh.

"Come on what?"

"Never mind."

"I have a question for you."

Jess looked over at her. "What?"

"What's your costume for the Halloween party?"

"A super model."

Hermione looked a tad confused. "Who gave you that suggestion?"

"Dean Thomas."

"Ah, so a guy. Do you need help with picking out something that won't reveal too much skin?"

"Yes, this is why when we meet up with Ginny and Rachel tomorrow that's what we're doing as soon as we leave the Three Broomsticks."

"Good idea. I'll need help with mine as well." Hermione still dreaded going to the party as a librarian.

"Make sure you don't leave it all up to Ginny though. She'll make you the sexiest librarian that ever existed."

"She wouldn't do that Jess. Unlike some people, Ginny understands that it's a good thing to be somewhat modest."

"I was just teasing. Besides, Lavender would have less clothing for that costume than whatever you or Ginny picked out." Jess winked and sat down in one of the chairs in the library. Hermione joined her and they began working on their Arithmancy.

Jess was distracted a good portion of the time. Ever since Hermione had began talking to her again, she had the feeling that she should tell her about her and Harry. Jess knew she had to eventually, and she knew Hermione would probably be the first person she told. But she didn't know how or when to break it to her. At the beginning of the week she had discussed it with Harry. They came to the conclusion that they should tell Hermione soon, because they knew that they could trust her to not tell anyone else. The question that kept bothering Jess was why did this all seem so complicated? It wasn't that big of a deal was it? All it really was; was that two of Hermione's best friends were dating each other. Okay, so maybe it was a big deal. Jess had told Harry that they should tell her by the end of the week. Well, today was Friday. Their deadline was soon approaching, and tomorrow it would be hard to tell Hermione since it was a Hogsmeade day. After writing the same word three times in a row, Jess pushed her parchment aside.

Hermione looked up from her parchment and over at Jess. She sat down her quill. "Is something wrong Jess?"

Jess sighed before taking the plunge. "Sort of."

This made Hermione look even more concerned. "What happened?" She whispered while leaning in.

She closed her eyes for a second before looking at Hermione. You could tell the anticipation was killing her. "Its about the guy I'm dating." Jess replied dully.

One of Hermione's eyebrow's rose and her face contorted into a look of utter confusion. "The guy you're dating? Since when were you dating someone?"

"It happened around the time you and Ron blew up at me."

"Oh…" Hermione grew quiet and began to think.

"I haven't told anyone who I'm dating."

"Alright, that's understandable since you haven't been together for that long."

Jess nodded before continuing. And with you and Ron mad at me, I had less people to tell. So I didn't tell anyone."

"Not even Ginny or Harry?"

"No."

"Oh."

"Anyways… Hermione?"

Hermione looked up from her thoughts. "Yes, Jess?"

"If I told you, could you keep it a secret and not tell anyone?" Jess searched her eyes for her truthful answer.

Hermione blinked and then spoke. "Of course I could. Since when was I known for telling secrets?"

She smiled at the bushy haired girl. "You haven't, which is why I trust you."

Hermione smiled back at her. "So, who are you dating?"

Jess took one last deep breath before telling her. "I'm dating Harry."

The look on Hermione's face was priceless. Her mouth dropped open and her brown eyes doubled in size. "Harry? You mean Harry Potter?! One of our best friends?!" She didn't know if she had heard Jess correctly.

"There aren't any other Harry's at this school that I'm aware of." Jess responded calmly.

Hermione shook her head in amazement. "You and Harry, though?"

"What? Does that seem unlikely?" Jess gave her a questioning look.

"No! I mean, no I can see that happening. I just… Didn't expect it is all. No Jess, I can see that perfectly! I just didn't know if it would ever happen is all."

"So you're not mad for me not telling you earlier?"

"Like you said yourself, Ron and I were upset with both of you, and I understand why you haven't told Ginny." Hermione was also still under the impression that Ginny still liked Harry.

Jess' face broke out into a smile. "I was so worried you'd be mad at me! I'm so happy that you aren't!"

Hermione smiled at her. "How could I be mad at you about it?"

"Well, I don't know. I'm sure if you tired hard enough you could find a reason."

"Like I would do that?"

"No, I don't see you doing that. Now, Ron on the other hand…"

Hermione rolled her eyes. "He's not speaking to all three of us. I don't think you'll have to worry about that for a while."

"Why does everything we talk about today seem to go back to Ron?"

"Hmm, no idea."

"Hey 'Mione?"

"Yeah?"

"Remind me when Ron is talking to us again that I need to smack him."

She laughed, "Consider it done."

Jess laughed along with her, which rewarded her with a glare from Madam Pince. "Lets go to dinner shall we?"

"A wonderful idea." Hermione gathered her things and followed Jess outside of the library. They dropped off their books in their room and then went down to dinner. Harry was there talking with Neville. Jess and Hermione walked over and sat across from the pair.

"Hey, I was wondering when you two were coming." Harry commented while looking up at them.

"We were being responsible and doing out homework." Hermione stated as she poured some pumpkin juice in her cup.

"I'll do my homework after dinner" he responded.

"Good." She approved of his plan and hen focused on eating.

"Maybe I should go…" Neville got ready to stand up as he knocked over his cup. He quickly grabbed a napkin and began mopping it up. His cheeks turned bright red.

"You don't have to go, Neville. In fact Hermione and I got here after you so if anyone had to move it would be us." Jess grabbed her wand as she spoke. "Scourify." The mess disappeared.

"Al-alright." He sat back down and continued eating.

Jess smiled before she continued speaking. "So, Harry. I was thinking we spent the morning tomorrow picking out your costume. How does that sound to you?"

"Sounds good. Do you know of any costume shops in Hogsmeade?" He asked, while grabbing his napkin.

"Not off hand, but I'm sure we could find one. It shouldn't be too hard."

"No, I wouldn't think so."

Hermione took this opportunity to ask a question. "What exactly is Harry going to be?"

A smirk crept up on Jess' face. "Oh, I can't tell you that!"

Hermione inquisitively looked at her. "And why not?"

"Why that would ruin all the fun of the surprise!"

"It's a surprise now?"

"Well I think it would be more fun if everyone didn't know until the day of the party."

"Is he You-Know-Who?"

Jess scoffed as her question. "Really Hermione! Do you think I would torture him like that with such a boring and uncreative idea?" A mysterious smile was on her lips.

Hermione looked over at Harry. "And you trust her to pick out your costume?"

He shrugged half-heartedly. "I don't have much of a choice do I? She was the one who got my name."

"I'd be scared if I were you."

"I should be, but oddly enough I'm not."

"That is odd. With the way she's acting you'd think she was making you go as a girl."

Harry shuddered, "No not quite."

"You mean you know what it is?"

"Yeah she told me a couple days ago. Its not that bad really. I'd much rather be what she has in mind than what everyone else would have picked out for me."

"I wouldn't have made you him, Harry."

"Alright, what almost everybody else had in mind for me."

Jess cleared her throat to get both of their attention. "Harry's right, 'Mione. Its not a bad costume. In fact its quite creative if I say so myself."

"I was just kidding Jess." Hermione replied as she looked at her.

This got a grin from Jess. "I know. I think everyone is going to get a kick out of it."

Hermione smiles as well. "I have a feeling they will. You are pretty imaginative."

"It's what I'm known for! I wouldn't have it any other way. I'm so excited for this costume party! I love dressing up in costumes and scaring people. In August when I'm at home I go to the Renaissance Festival all dressed in costume. I should bring you guys sometime!"

"That sounds like fun Jess! What kind of costume do you dress up in?"

"Um, I forgot what they called it. I bought the dress at one of the festivals. My cloak I bought at another. I should have brought my stuff with me. Maybe I can over the Christmas break."

"Good idea. I'd love to see what it looks like." The two girls continued discussing the festival. Jess told her about all of the shows you can watch for free, as well as all of the good food you can buy.

"I've gone to three different ones. All in different states, its just a blast! I never get sick of it. There's a lot of stuff we just need to all get together and do."

"Like what?" Hermione asked while she began thinking.

"Muggle stuff. For instance, we all need to go and see a movie. I think Ginny would really get a kick out of it. And maybe we could go to the zoo. I always think its fun looking at all of the animals. Another possibility is going to the mall." There was a pause and both Hermione and Jess began laughing.

Harry looked at them like they were both nuts. "What's so funny?"

"Well I don't know about Hermione, but I find the thought of you and Ron in a mall hysterical." Jess replied with a big smile on her face.

"That's what I was thinking!" Hermione chimed in.

"Alright, you know I might have gone to one at some point when I was really small. Even my aunt wasn't cruel enough to leave me home alone at the age of three, when she couldn't find anyone to take care of me." He said to both of them.

"It's the thought of you now at a mall that's funny, Harry." Jess replied once he had finished.

"You two are weird."

"That's what you love about us though."

Harry couldn't help but grin. "Okay, you got me there. But I still don't see why its so funny."

"We'll just have to bring you to a mall someday. It'll be pretty obvious why in a short amount of time.

"If you say so."

"Oh I know so."

"How can you be so confident about it?"

"Because I've dragged my guy friends from back at home to the mall before. The first time it was pretty comical. I think the three places they'd willingly go into are the bookstore, the arcade and the food court."

"I'd like to see you try and keep Ron amused in a muggle bookstore."

"That would be a feat wouldn't?"

"Yeah, pretty much."

"I think he'd love the arcade though. Most boys love videogames."

"Dudley is living proof of that. He goes through so many video games during summer."

"I can only imagine. Had he ever picked up and read a book on his own free will?"

Harry thought for a moment. "Do comic books count?"

"Hmm… No."

"Then I sincerely doubt it."

"That's very sad."

"Indeed."

"I can't imagine that." Hermione interjected, "Not one book?"

Harry shook his head. "Like I said, I highly doubt it."

"What does he do when he's run out of video games?"

"Oh he splits his time evenly between the television and video games."

"But some video games are played on the TV." Jess commented, "Like any game that is for Playstation, Nintendo, or X-Box is played on the TV."

"He's actually broken a television because he was so mad at it." He reminisced back to the exact day. It was when he and Dudley were both ten. Dudley had gotten very upset at one of his games. After half a dozen tries, Dudley hadn't been able to get past a level. The beginning of Dudley's assault on the television was sounded by a lot of frustrated yelling. He then got off his butt and walked over to the television and hit it rather hard. This continued for another thirty seconds until Dudley had kicked the television and left a crack in the screen. After that he had refused to use that television and it sat in Dudley's second bedroom that was filled with all of his broken toys. That was the only purpose for Dudley's second bedroom. It was for either broken toys or toys he didn't care about anymore. Why a child needed a second bedroom was beyond him. None of his or Dudley's friends had a second bedroom for themselves. This, Harry was certain of. Dudley's second bedroom could have been put to a better use. For starters, it could have been a room for Harry to use. Dudley's second bedroom was smaller than his other one, but Harry didn't care. It would have been a thousand times better than the dark cupboard under the stairs that he had lived in for almost ten years. In fact is irritated him that the threat of Harry becoming a wizard was the cause to get in touch with their senses and move Harry into Dudley's second bedroom. His thoughts were cut short though, as a hand waved in front of his face. Only then did he realize that someone had been calling his name.

"Harry? ... Harry!" Jess said a little louder as she waved her hand in front of his face.

It was as if Harry had been snapped out a trance. He looked up to see Jess and Hermione looking at him. "Yeah?" He looked a little confused.

"Harry you spaced out on us for a while."

"Oh. Sorry Jess, Hermione."

Jess looked at him with concern. "You alright?"

"Yeah I'm fine. When I mentioned that Dudley broke his television it made me think back to when he broke it, that's all."

"You sure?"

"That was the only important part. The rest of what I remembered just made me angry."

"Oh." She frowned slightly.

"Its alright Jess. I'm fine. My living arrangements at number four have slightly improved over the years."

"If you want to talk about it, know you can."

Harry smiled at her. "I know, Jess."

Both Jess and Hermione smiled back at him. "We both think how they treated you is wrong, Harry." Hermione reminded him.

"I know, 'Mione."

"You only have to deal with them until the end of next summer." She reminded him.

"And of that, I'm glad." Their conversation died down as they began eating. Once they were all settled in they began to once again. The trio went back up to the Gryffindor common room to work on homework when they were done with dinner. Around eleven they parted and went to their own rooms and went to sleep.

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Author's Note: Alright chapter thirty is up! Now here is what I wanted to say. I realize that I make some spelling errors, and so you know when I get done typing these I just want to put them up and not re-read them. So, if someone would like to read them over for me, I could send you the chapter and you could make the corrections and then send it back to me that would fantastic! Because believe it or not, I hate typing these chapters up, also known as, I shouldn't have written them in notebooks first. But oh well! I did it and thats how I'm going to continue doing it. I do love supplying you all with the chapters though :D Also, I've got complaints about me side tracking stuff. And here is my answet to that. Don't you notice that Rowling in her works has about three or four things going on, or is it just me? I'm sorry people, I just am a very detailed person and I don't want this to be over in thirty chapters just because I forgot all other things and focused far too heavily on something that should not progress that quickly. Relationships take time, they don't magically come into being over a couple weeks. The attraction is there yes, but well, these two have a bit of a complicated situation. That being said, I hope you understand my motives and what not. So! I feel like I'm rambling too much here... I don't know when the next chapter will be uploaded seeing as I might be busy this weekend with work and other things. I'll try and not wait as long as I did last time but I can't promise you anything. Also, I want to thank you all for staying here with me and following this story. I really do appreciate it and I probably don't mention it enough. Some of the things you say in your reviews are profound, in a good way, and make me feel elated to know that I could write someting that could bring you all so much joy and excitement. So, please do continue to review. Until next chapter, read and review. :D -Jess


	31. Shopping for Harrys costume at Hogsmeade

Alright everyone I'm back! And now for chapter thirty-one! But first I would like to say a couple things. First off, I know I said Draco would be in this chapter but the way I was thinking of splitting up the chapters earlier did not turn out to be how I did them. Like for instance as long as this one is, add about three-fourths of it again and that was going to be the chapter. I decided and figured out that I would not have the sanity to write that all in one sitting. So, I split it up into two. For positive Draco will be in the next chapter. That being said I think we can start with this chapter. An author's note will be at the bottom so please do read it. I do not own Harry Potter.

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Around eight the next morning Jess got up. She quickly grabbed a shower and got dressed. When she walked back into her room the other inhabitants of her room were up. Hermione was mostly ready. She was currently putting her long bushy mane of hair into a pony tail. Lavender and Parvati on the other hand were applying make up. Jess rolled her eyes and ran a comb through her hair before grabbing her money and heading to the door. "Are you coming down to breakfast Hermione?"

"Yes, just one second." A couple minutes later Hermione stood next to her. "Ready." They both went downstairs to the Great Hall. The great Hall was about at half occupancy. Jess and Hermione took their usual place at the Gryffindor table; there was no sign of Harry.

"He better get here soon. We only have a couple hours in Hogsmeade before we're supposed to meet up with the others. He had better not be thinking of catching the ten o'clock bunch of carriages." Jess sighed as she twirled her fork around on her plate. There was two different times that the carriages would bring the students to the all magic village. The first group would leave at nine in the morning and arrive between nine-fifteen and nine-thirty. The second group was for those people that liked to sleep in a little. They left at ten and would get to Hogsmeade between ten-fifteen and ten-thirty. Both Hermione and Jess had opted for the nine o'clock carriages. That way they would have more time to shop. Not that either of them were huge fans of shopping, but the Halloween costume ball was on Wednesday and they both needed to get costumes. It was half past eight when Jess and Hermione walked into the Great Hall. At eight-forty, Harry walked in and sat down.

"I was worried you weren't going to show up!" Jess exclaimed with a sigh of relief.

Harry grinned as he piled food on his plate. "No I know better than to keep you two waiting."

"We should leave here at about ten till. Harry, you sure you have enough time to eat?" Hermione asked, she doubted his skills of shoving his food in his face that fast.

"Positive, Hermione." Harry said while inhaling a piece of toast. He then quickly ate a couple sausages and chugged down his pumpkin juice. He then stood. "Ready."

Jess and Hermione both laughed. Jess finished her muffin as Hermione finished off her orange juice. They both stood and followed Harry out to the front doors of the castle. They arrived about five minutes early as the carriages pulled up with the invisible Thestrals pulling them. Harry could see them and walked up to them and patted one on the neck. Jess followed suit but couldn't see them.

"Harry? Where's its mouth?" She began to aimlessly feel around the Thestrals head.

He took her hand and moved it to the edge of the Thestrals nose. "Right under here."

Jess petted the scaly feeling skin. The Thestrals were sort of like horses, but a far less beautiful kind. They were thinner and they lacked the beautiful mane and tail that a normal horse had. Harry had described them as a bit bony and black in color. She had to trust what he said because she could not see them for herself. Jess reached into her pocket and pulled out something covered in a napkin. She unwrapped the contents to reveal a few pieces of sausage. Also unlike horses, Thestrals liked meat quite a bit; they preferred raw meat but also enjoyed cooked meat. Jess held out one of the sausages for the Thestral to eat out of her hand, which it gladly did. The Thestral nudged her for more once it was done. Jess laughed and held out one more. The sausage was gone in a matter of seconds, as the Thestral begged her for more.

"I think that's enough for now." Jess commented as she wrapped the remaining sausages back up in the napkin and placed them in her pocket again. "Have to save some for the ride home."

"Lets get in the carriage shall we?" Hermione suggested as she gave the Thestral an affectionate pat on the nose and then climbed up and into the carriage. Jess followed after her and Harry brought up the rear. Neville Longbottom from their year and house joined them also. Along with two Ravenclaws, one of them had short brown hair and was quite tall for a girl; she had bangs and brown eyes, and was in sixth year, this was Jess' friend Rachel. Along with Rachel was a girl with long blonde hair and blue eyes, the look on her face was one of someone day dreaming, this was Luna Lovegood. Once they were all in, the carriage started moving and headed towards Hogsmeade.

"So Jess, what time were we meeting up at the Three Broomsticks?" Rachel asked, starting the conversation.

"At noon. I have to help Harry pick out the supplies for his costume first. So that's what we'll be doing this morning." Jess replied, she paused for a minute to think of what she had wanted to ask her. "Oh! What is your costume for the party?"

"I'm supposed to be one of the Weird Sisters. I guess I didn't tell you that since I haven't seen you since we all drew names."

"No we haven't. I think that's a great costume for you, since you like to sing and play instruments. Do you have to be one in specific or if that left up to you to decide?"

"No, it was left up to me. Although I'm not sure which one I should choose."

"Hmm… Well have you narrowed it down at all?"

"Yeah, I thought either Myron Wagtail who's the lead singer of Herman Wintringham who plays the flute."

"I would go with Myron since I know you know how to sing. I mean I know you play the flute, but you can be louder if you sing than if you are playing the flute."

"True, although that would be funny if I went around head banging with my flute." Everyone in the carriage laughed at the idea, even Neville.

"That might freak some people out." Jess said once she had stopped laughing.

"Since when did I have a problem with weirding people out?"

Jess couldn't help but laugh. "You never have, and neither have I."

Rachel grinned as well. "Exactly. So I don't see the problem with either choice."

"I just hear you sing more than I hear you play the flute."

"Ah, yeah that's true."

"Do you have your flute with you?"

"Yep! Its up in my room back at school. I haven't had much a change to play it though."

"Oh, I don't know if this would help you pick which one you should be, but do you know the lyrics from any of their songs?"

"I know the lyrics from at like one of their songs, if not more."

"Alright, but do you know any of the flute music from their songs?"

"Hmm, no I don't. I haven't bought any of their music sheets."

"I would stick with being Myron then."

"That's probably a good idea. Thanks Jess!" Rachel gave her a small hug.

"No problem. Anytime." Jess smiled at her as they continued rolling along towards Hogsmeade.

About fifteen minutes later their carriage pulled up to the all magic village of Hogsmeade. It was the only one of its kind, and all the students that attended Hogwarts that were third years were able to go to Hogsmeade on the weekends it was offered. There was a catch though, every student had to hand in a permission slip that was signed by their parents or guardian that said they said it was alright for their child to go to Hogsmeade. All of them had gotten the permission slip during the summer between their second and third year. Jess, Hermione, Ron, and all of the other students had gotten theirs signed, all but one student. And that student was Harry. Harry had gotten it in the mail and had asked his uncle Vernon is he would sign it. His uncle contemplated it and said he would sign it if he behaved when his sister Marge came to visit for the week. Harry absolutely hated it when Aunt Marge came to visit. She was a very large woman and had no neck, just like uncle Vernon. She was also a dog breeder and bred bulldogs. So every time aunt Marge came over she had at least one of them in tow, her favorite one, named Ripper. But this wasn't the worst part about when she came over. Aunt Marge always treated Harry terribly, even worse than the Dursley's did, and that was saying something. Her favorite game when she was over was to antagonize Harry, or berate Harry and see how long it would take him to become very angry. Another one of her favorite pastimes was picking apart Harry's parents and making them seem like the scum of the earth. While this bothered Harry while growing up, it bothered him even more since he had learned some things about his parents when he first started going to Hogwarts. For starters, before he had even left the Dursley's and Hagrid had some to deliver his acceptance letter by hand, uncle Vernon had made it impossible for Harry to open the hundreds that had been sent before, Harry learned that his parents had not been killed in a car crash, but they had been killed by Voldemort. And that is was from Voldemort that he had acquired his lightening bolt scar.

So when Aunt Marge had come over she had wasted no time and at dinner she was already belittling Harry's mother and father. The first warning for her to stop was the out of no where shattering of her glass, But of course she had excuse it and blamed it on her firm grip. So, she stupidly continued her banter until Harry got so mad that he subconsciously blew her up. Yes, he blew her up, so that she was inflated to twice her size and floated out the window. It was safe to say that after that, uncle Vernon would not be signing his permission slip.

So Harry had missed the first trip to Hogsmeade and instead had chat and some tea with his Defense Against the Dark Arts teacher for his third year, professor Lupin. The next time Hogsmeade had come around Harry had been stopped by none other than the elite pranksters, and coincidentally Ron and Ginny's older twin brothers, Fred and George Weasley. They presented Harry with a map that was only opened by saying; _I solemnly swear that I am up to no good._ This map was the Marauders Map, created by Padfoot, Prongs, Moony and Wormtail. This map was of the entire grounds and castle of Hogwarts. If anyone was in the castle or on the grounds they would show up on this map. There also were secret passages, one of them led to Honeydukes, which is a sweetshop in Hogsmeade. Fred and George had nicked the map out of Filch's office their first year and had memorized the map and passages by Harry's third year, they being in their fifteen year.

Strangely enough this map was made by people that Harry knew. Since professor Lupin had been bit by a werewolf as a child he needed a safe place to go and transform once every month. Dumbledore had taken it on himself to have this work. The Whomping Willow, a destructive tree with a min of its own, was planted so that Lupin could go inside it and go to Hogsmeade through a tunnel that was built and went to the Shrieking Shack and transform and stay there during his transformation. Harry knew the Whomping Willow oh too well; he and Ron had used Mr. Weasley's magically enhanced, flying, muggle car to get to Hogwarts their second year. They had landed in the Whomping Willow, which had smashed the living daylights out of the turquoise 1955 Ford Anglia.

Lupin's best friends at Hogwarts had been James Potter, Harry's father, Sirius Black, Harry's godfather, and a little man who had betrayed Harry's parents and ended getting them killed and Sirius thrown into Azkaban, Peter Pettigrew. They had discovered Lupin's secret and had become illegal Anamagi, being able to turn into animals and keep Lupin company when he was a werewolf. It was these four that had made the Marauder's Map. Moon, Lupin who was a werewolf, Prongs, James Potter who's Anamagi was a stag. Padfoot, Sirius who's Anamagi was a large black dog. And Wormtail, Peter Pettigrew, who's Anamagi, was a rat. With this map and Harry's invisibility cloak, he was able to go to Hogsmeade his third year, that is until the map was confiscated by Lupin, one of the makers of the map. At the end of the year, when Lupin gave up his teaching job, he gave Harry back the Marauder's Map. But Harry wouldn't need it to get back to Hogsmeade. For at the end of the term, Harry's permission slip was signed by one of his guardians. No, not by his aunt Petunia, or his uncle Vernon, but by his godfather, Sirius Black.

Jess lightly touched his arm. "Harry? Are you alright?"

He snapped out of his thoughts and looked down at her. "Yeah, I'm fine.

"What were you thinking about?'

"I was thinking back to when Dudley had broken the television."

"Oh?"

He rubbed the back of his neck with one hand. "Yeah, then is spiraled into more, unpleasant memories, instances where I would have begged to be anywhere else than number four Privet drive. I didn't have the choice though."

"If I would have known, I would have made my parents take you in, in a heartbeat." Jess said with much feeling evident in her voice.

"I know Jess, but for some reason Dumbledore wants me to stay there. There would have been nothing you could have done, but the fact that you care means a lot." A small smile spread on his lips.

Jess smiled back at him. "Should we head out and start shopping?"

"Do we have to?" He groaned in a convincing voice. "It pains me to shop for clothes."

"Harry, its costumes, costumes are a different kind of clothes."

"I know, but can't I tease you about it?"

She laughed lightly. "Of course you can. But only if I can tease you back."

"Well it depends on what you're going to tease me about."

"Hey, the reason wasn't specified."

"It wasn't, but it should be." They both laughed and Jess grabbed Harry's arm and dragged him off.

"It won't be that bad, I promise."

"Well, if you're sure."

"I'm sure Harry. I'd even be willing to bet that you might have a bit of fun."

"Fun? Fun going shopping for clothes?" Harry mocked a shocked expression. "Is that even possible?"

"We're shopping for costumes." Jess reminded him once more.

"My bad. Is shopping for costumes much better?"

"Oh loads better! You shouldn't even be able to compare the two."

This got a chuckle out of Harry. "Well if its that much different, I should probably give it a try."

She nodded her head and dragged him forward. "Good. I'm glad its settled."

"Whoa! Slow down!"

"Oh shush, I'm not going that fast." Jess jokingly rolled her eyes as they walked. She directed them off of the main street and to the next one to the left.

"Where are we going, Jess?" Harry asked as he looked around.

"Well I thought we could check out the costume shop first. And if we don't find everything there we can head over to the fabric shop."

"Oh, sounds good" he nodded.

Jess smiled and they soon stood in front of a lively looking shop. About two dozen students from Hogwarts were already there. "See it's a good thing we came early. Around noon this place is going to be packed."

"Its already really busy." Harry commented as they walked through the door and into the shop. "What's the name of this place?"

"Madam Dorea's Costume Shoppe."

"Why have I never heard of this place before?"

"Probably because its not one of the main places people go when we come here. That and I don't see you and Ron frequenting the costume shop without Hermione or me. Although that would be pretty funny."

Harry laughed, "I don't see that happening any time soon."

"Maybe I can convince you and open the doors for you to the world of the costume shop."

"Perhaps, we'll just have to see how this trip goes."

Jess then directed Harry to all of the men's costumes. She placed a couple hats on his head and had him turn around so she could see what it looked like from the back. "Hmm… I like this one. What do you think?"

Harry put the hat back on and stood in front of a mirror. "I like it, but will it work?"

Jess walked up behind him and took off the hat. "It'll work perfectly."

He grinned and planted a kiss on her cheek. "Thanks Jess. What should we look for next?"

Jess thought for a moment. "Pants would be a logical choice. Unless, you don't want to wear pants at this event."

He laughed and walked over to the pants. "As tempting as that is, I think I prefer wearing pants. It is late October ad it would get cold really fast if I'm not wearing pants."

She laughed as well while following him over to the pants. "I hadn't thought of that." Jess looked through all of the pants and settled on three pairs. "Lets get you a dressing room." She walked over to the front desk where a middle aged witch sat. The witch behind the counter looked quite happy about her sudden influx of customers.

The woman noticed Jess, who was followed by Harry. She by passed Jess and stared at Harry. "Heavens, I never thought I would meet Harry Potter! Oh, and I bet I look terrible!" The witch began smoothing out her outfit. "It's a great honor to have you in my shop. Is there anything I can help with?"

"As a matter of fact yes." Jess butted in. She placed the selection of pants on the counter. "Could you get a dressing for him so he can try these on?"

"Oh of course!" The witch jumped up from her chair, and in the process knocked her copy of the _Daily Prophet _on the ground. "Follow me please."

Jess scooped up the pants in her arms again and followed. Harry followed behind her. The witch stopped and knocked on the door of the dressing room. "Anyone in there?" No response. "There you are. Whatever you don't like just leave it all folded in a pile in the dressing room. If there is anything else I can do for you let me know. Oh, and one more thing. Only the person who is trying on the clothes can be in there. Don't want any funny business." The woman looked over at Jess and then left.

Jess looked slightly annoyed. "So I look like someone who would start funny business?"

Harry shook his head. "No, but you might make me start."

She raised an eyebrow. "Oh?"

"Yes." He bent down and kissed her lightly on the lips. "I'd be crazy id I didn't notice how pretty you are."

Jess could feel warmth rising up into her cheeks. She gave Harry the pants and pushed him in the dressing room and shut the door. "When you've put on a pair come out here so I can see if they work." She then went and sat down on a bench, her cheeks being bright red.

Harry smiled to himself as he saw Jess begin to blush. He grabbed one pair of the pants and placed the other two down. Unbuttoning and unzipping his pants, Harry slipped out of his pants and tried on the first pair. Once he had them done up he opened the door.

Jess looked up and noticed Harry in the first pair she had picked out. "Walk over here and then turn around" she instructed.

Harry did as he was told and then sat down next to her. "What do you think?" He asked while looking at her.

"They're not what we're looking for. Plus I don't think they are the right color. Try on the second pair."

He stood up and walked back into the dressing room. Closing the door behind him Harry took off the pants and made a new pile for them. This would be the pile for the pants that wouldn't work for his costume. Grabbing the second pair, Harry tried them on and then walked out of the dressing room. He had to hold on to them so that they couldn't fall off.

"No." Jess said immediately. "Your costume isn't a ghetto hood guy. Hopefully the last pair will work."

He walked back into the dressing room. After placing the second pair into the reject pile, Harry came to the conclusion that he was glad that his aunt Petunia hadn't drug him around shopping for clothes. He put on the last pair and stepped out of the dressing room once more.

"Hmm, I don't think those are going to work either." She commented while standing up. "The length isn't right and they're a bit too tight for the look you're going for."

Harry sighed and went back into the dressing room. He put the last pair into the reject pile and put on his own pair of pants back on. When he came out of the dressing room, Jess had a couple shirts with her.

"Try these on. I think we'll have better success with these, than we did with the pants." She handed him the two shirts.

Harry walked back into the dressing room and took his shirt off and put one of the other ones on and walked out.

"That could work." Jess smiled as he turned around. "Try the other one on just in case."

He walked back into the dressing room and tried on the second shirt. Harry then walked back out to show Jess.

Jess blushed as he walked out. "That's sexy, perhaps a bit too sexy. Here." She walked up to him and buttoned up a couple of the buttons up. Only leaving two of the buttons undone instead of the four Harry had left undone. "There, I think this one is a winner."

"So I'm done trying on clothes now?" He asked, hoping it was true.

"Yep. Just change back into your normal shirt and bring this one out with you."

Harry rushed back into the dressing room. He walked out of the dressing room for the last time. The second shirt he tried on was held in one of his hands. "Alright, now what?"

"We have to add some accessories."

"Like?"

"You'll see." Hess walked back over to all the costuming props. Harry shook his head and followed her. After another half an hour they had everything they needed and walked up to the front counter.

The middle aged witch had resumed her spot. "Did you find everything you needed?" She asked as she rang up the items.

"We found a lot of great stuff." Jess responded while smiling at Harry.

"Your total comes to eleven galleons, nine sickles and three knuts."

Harry handed her his money and took the bag. He looked at Jess and smiled.

"Thank you and come again!"

They both walked out of the store. Harry saw no one they knew and slipped his hand into Jess' while kissing her cheek. "Thanks for helping me."

Jess smiled at him. "It was my pleasure."

"Looks like we have about an hour to kill until you meet up with Ginny. Any ideas on what we should do?"

"Yes actually I do have one."

"What's that?"

"We need to head to the fabric shop."

"Oh, okay. How come?"

"Harry, you're going to need pants. The pants you have won't do."

"Oh. I suppose you're right. Where's the fabric shop?"

"Just a couple streets down."

"Alright lets go." They both walked to the fabric store. When they got there a small sign hung outside the door that said _Lysandra's Fabric Emporium._ Harry held the door open for Jess. She walked through and Harry followed after her. There were quite a few Hogwarts students here as well. Not as many because the convenience of having the costume already made appealed to them. Jess walked up to a woman who worked there and described what she was looking for. Soon Jess held a bolt of fabric in her hands. She walked back over to Harry. "Harry?"

"Yeah Jess?"

"They want to get an idea of how these pants are going to fit you. So, would you mind being loosely fitted?"

"No, that's fine."

"Is it okay if I'm there so I can tell them what we want?"

"That's fine Jess."

"Great! Because we can have the pants by the end of the day if we do it now."

Harry smiled at her. "So where are we going?"

"Follow me." Harry followed Jess to the back room where a woman was waiting. After fifteen minutes the woman had what she needed to fir the pants to Harry's needs. Harry then got a receipt so he would give it to them when he came back for the pants and could pay then.

Jess and Harry still had about a half an hour to kill until Jess had to meet up with Ginny. They decided to go up to the Shrieking Shack and sit down on the large rock.

"I think we have had a pretty successful morning." Jess said cheerfully.

"I had no idea I needed that much stuff for the costume" Harry admitted.

"Did I make you spent too much?" She asked, a little bit worried.

"No, that wasn't too much. Its fine Jess. Don't worry about it."

"You sure?"

"I'm positive."

"Alright, I'm glad. I didn't want to have you mad at me." The wind picked up and Jess pulled her jacket tighter around her. Harry put an arm around her shoulder.

"Hey, Harry?"

"Yeah?"

"I told Hermione."

"How did she take it?" He knew what she was talking about.

"She took it really well."

"I'm glad. Its comforting to know that at least one of out friends took it well."

Jess smiled and nodded. "Hopefully the others will too."

"One can hope."

"Speaking of the others, I should probably go."

"Alright have fun."

"Thanks I will." Jess stood and faced Harry. She bent her head down and kissed Harry. He kissed her back and tucked a piece of her hair behind her ear.

Harry grinned as he watched her leave. _How lucky did I get to have a girlfriend like her_? He mused to himself before getting up and going back to the main village of Hogsmeade.

* * *

Author's note: Chapter thirty-one is now up! I would like to say thank you to those of you that reviewed last time. Unfortunately, a lot of you didn't. Why I think this might be is because the chapter before was rather boring. So, if you guys want to read the next chapter with Draco in it. I suggest that you review this one. I'm either posting it tomorrow or I'm not posting most likely until next week. Why this is, is because I have a pretty busy schedule come Wednesday, until Sunday. So, if you would like to see the next chapter and not have to wait, I suggest that you review this one. So until next chapter, as always please review.


	32. Costume Mayhem

Alright everyone I thought I got enough reviews to update again! I also thought I should so I don't leave you all hanging on this Hogsmeade trip. Alright, now there's a lot of things that I don't own that are mentioned, for instance, I don't own Harry Potter, I don't know Wal-Mart, (yeah I know thats odd but anyway), nor do I own youtube. So that's that!

* * *

Jess stepped into the Three Broomsticks with a minute to spare. She saw Hermione at a table and walked over. "Hey 'Mione." She greeted as she sat down.

"Hey Jess. How did shopping for Harry's costume go?" Hermione asked after taking a sip of her butterbeer.

"It actually went very well. We got almost everything we needed at the costume shop. The only thing we didn't find was pants, which we luckily found at the fabric store."

"So, the two of you actually shopped? I must say I'm impressed."

"And why is that, Hermione?"

"Jess, you and I both know that Harry and Ron shopping for clothes would be a difficult task." Hermione stated matter-of-factly.

Jess laughed, "I would have to see Ron clothes shopping. I'm glad it was just me and Harry."

"That's another point of interest that might prohibit being successful in shopping for his costume."

"We didn't snog the entire time if that's what you're suggesting. Hermione we've only been going out for a couple weeks, we haven't snogged yet."

"Oh, I guess that's true." She smiled, "I'm glad you two actually see the meaning behind it."

Jess smiled as well. "Yeah, I'm glad Harry isn't pushy when it comes to kissing. Otherwise I'd have to smack him."

This comment caused Hermione to laugh. "I can see you doing that, and I wouldn't stop you."

"Thanks 'Mione."

"No problem Jess. Have you told Ginny yet?"

She sighed while looking at Hermione. "No I haven't. And you know Ginny, she's been bothering me about it for as long as I've been going out with Harry."

"That doesn't surprise me. I'm sure you'll tell her when you think the time is right."

"Exactly. I just don't know if I'll ever figure out when the time is right. Harry has it easy. I told him, he had the responsibility of telling Ron. But Ron is still mad at both of us."

"The only one of us he isn't mad at is Ginny." Hermione commented with a bit of difficulty. She still wasn't happy about how childish Ron was acting. Not to mention how he was acting with Lavender irritated her to no end.

"Looks like Ginny and Rachel are running a bit late. Have you seen Madam Rosemerta around? I'd really like something to drink." She looked around but saw no sigh of her. "I'll be right back." Jess stood up and walked over to the bar table and ordered a butterbeer from there since Madam Rosemerta was no where to be seen. She walked back over and sat down. "So, what have you been up to this morning?"

Hermione pulled out a bag. "I went to the bookstore and bought a book." She took the book of the bag and handed it to Jess.

Jess flipped the blue book around and read the blurb on the back. "Sounds interesting."

"I thought so." She placed the book back in the bag and put the bag by her feet.

Ginny and Rachel walked in the door together. They noticed Jess and Hermione and walked over. "I didn't know if you meant meeting outside or inside the Three Broomsticks." Ginny said while taking a seat next to Hermione.

"Oh, I thought you would assume I meant inside." Jess replied as Madam Rosemerta walked over.

"Hello girls, what can I get you today?"

"A butterbeer please." Rachel responded to her question.

"I'll have the same thing" Ginny replied.

"I ordered one up at the bar, but haven't gotten it yet" Jess stated.

"Oh, well I'll go get that as well as two more." She walked away and her heels clicked as she did until the clicking faded away.

"So Ginny" Jess said, "What is your costume?"

"I'm supposed to be a Quidditch star. So my costume is pretty much all ready. I'll just wear my Quidditch outfit and carry my broom around. What about you Jess?" Ginny asked as she situated herself.

"Your boyfriend apparently thought it would be amusing if I was a super model for the night."

"That should be easy for you Jess. I mean you're beautiful!"

She smiled, "Thanks Gin, but I don't have the height that super models do."

"You'll just have to get some high heels."

"Oh joy. I'm not the best when it comes to walking in them."

"I'm sure you'll do just fine."

"Yeah, I guess." She sighed, as Madam Rosemerta came back over with their drinks.

"If you girls need anything else just let me know." She smiled and left, high heels clicking all the way.

"I hope whatever shoes I pick, they aren't that noisy." Jess commented as the sound of clicking died off.

"You'll be able to test that in the store." Hermione chimed in. "Plus you could put a spell on them if it really bothered you."

"I guess. So Rachel? What's up?" Jess had noticed that Rachel hadn't said a thing since she walked in.

"The ceiling." She responded as usual.

"I should have expected that. So, what crazy costume did you pick out for who you got?"

Rachel laughed as she thought about it. "I think it'll be more fun if you figure it out that night."

"Alright, who did you get though?"

"Padma Patil."

"The poor girl."

"Its not that bad."

"Knowing you it might be. For instance who wants to run around Wal-Mart wearing a chicken suit?"

This made Rachel laugh. "Oh come on! Who doesn't want to run around dressed up as a chicken?"

"What's Wal-Mart?" Ginny asked with a confused look on her face.

"That's what I was going to ask" said Hermione.

"Wal-Mart is a store in America. It's a store that is known for its low prices. There is also a YouTube video making fun of it and how it you shop at Wal-Mart you'll eventually lose your job and work at Wal-Mart and not get paid as much as you use to. Although in the video its called Big Box Mart." Jess responded while setting her butterbeer down.

"What's YouTube?" Ginny asked, still confused.

"I'd have to explain the internet as well. I'll just have to show it you someday. Its pretty amazing though. Wouldn't you say so Rachel?" Jess looked over at her.

"Yeah, YouTube is pretty much awesome!" Rachel took a sip of her butterbeer.

"Alright. So before I confuse more people with muggle things should we get going?" Jess asked after she finished off her butterbeer.

"Give me a second." Ginny tipped hers up to her lips and finished. "Alright ready."

"Rachel? Hermione?"

"Mine's been empty for a while." Hermione replied while standing. Rachel stood up as well as it to answer Jess' question. They all left their money, for their drinks on the table and headed off to the costume store. When they got there it was more packed than it had been when Jess and Harry were there. They all waded through the crowd of people and began looking at costumes.

Ginny already had her picked out so she helped the other three pick out theirs. Rachel picked up a fake fur coat as well as a weird hat. She walked over to Jess. "Hey Jess! How do you think this looks?"

Jess laughed as Rachel put on the fake fur coat and weird hat. "That looks good! I'd look for a Weird Sisters shirt and a microphone."

"Okay." She went off in search of more items.

Jess had no idea what to do for hers. When she thought of a super model she thought of them wearing less clothing than she would possibly think of. She picked up a dress. "I could get away with this and feel somewhat comfortable. Now I just need some shoes." She walked over to the shoes and looked through them. "These work." Jess then went back over to help Hermione who was proving to have a difficult time.

Draco Malfoy walked down the streets of Hogsmeade at an eased pace as everyone else ran around in a frenzy, trying to put their costumes together. One plus side to being rich, Draco thought, was that he had other people figuring out his costume for him. The person that had gotten his name of course was none other than Pansy Parkinson. She had come up with something that he had no idea what it was, so he had to ask around. Finally when he had figured it out he wrote his mother a letter telling her to have their tailor make this costume for him. It was extremely handy that his tailor had Draco's measurements on file. That way he wouldn't have to sit through the annoying process of being fitted, which was something Draco has experienced far too much as he grew up. It wasn't his fault that he went through puberty and grew a lot.

He would be receiving his costume on Monday so that he would have it in time. But there were two small components of his costume that Draco had to find by himself. According to the sources that he had, these two components were of the utmost importance. No problem, though, at least he had most of his costume. Draco would just have to make a quick stop into a costume shop and purchase said items. And that's where he was heading now. Draco opened the door to _Madam Dorea's Costume Shoppe _and saw that it was jam packed. Okay, so he might have a small problem with acquiring the two items, he wasn't in a hurry so it didn't matter. Draco walked over to the accessories and found one of the items he needed. He tried it on and looked in the full length mirror. _Perfect_, he thought to himself as he smirked. Draco then began the hunt for the last item.

Fifteen minutes later he still had not found it. Just his luck it was one of the most important items. Draco edged his way through the horde of people. He bumped into someone and yelled. "Watch where you're going!"

Jess looked at him. "Not to be rude, but you were the one that bumped into me."

Draco was surprised to see Jess in the shop, but he didn't let it show. "What are you doing in here Anderson?" He replied tersely.

"What does it look like? I'm picking out a costume." Jess had already bought her costume and it was in a bag. The only part of it Draco could see was her selection of shoes.

He raised an eyebrow at the shows. "Are you going as a call-girl or something?"

Jess' face flushed red with anger. "I'm not going as a whore, you twit!" She yelled back at him.

"Could have fooled me with those shoes. Don't tell me that's how you got the income to by them. Hogwarts is a reputable school and wouldn't allow such distasteful behavior."

"I'll have you show I would never do such a thing to desecrate myself." Jess retorted in a low voice.

Draco smirked at how riled up she was getting, deep down though it was not as enjoyable as it had once been, before their project together. "Whatever you say." He then turned back to his search for the last piece of his costume.

Jess watched him walk away. She took a deep breath before going back to helping Hermione pick out her costume. She pushed the thought of the best way to cause Draco pain away and focused back to the task at hand.

Hermione wasn't having any luck with her costume. Unless she wanted to look ancient, which she didn't. Just when she finally found something that would work the next item was ten times harder to locate and seemed near impossible to find. Around three in the afternoon the girls were done shopping and had gone into Honeydukes to get some sweets.

Jess had purchases for herself her favorite chocolate frogs we well as some gummy worms. Ginny decided on some pumpkin pasties. Hermione got the usual minty self-floss that she got for her parents, since they were dentists, along with some licorice wands. Rachel had been daring and decided to get some Bertie Botts every flavor jelly beans. When they said every flavor, they meant every flavor.

"Someone is risking their taste buds." Jess commented as Rachel bought a box.

Rachel looked over at her. "You know I'll eat just about anything."

"Yeah, but earwax flavor? Or how about vomit flavor? Not to mention the other weird and unnatural flavors that might be in there."

"Hey, I've seen you eat these on occasion."

"True, but I smell it first before eating it."

"The grass one isn't too bad."

"I was shocked the first time I had one. It was pepper flavored and it tasted just like pepper. They aren't kidding when they mean every flavor."

"But that's what makes them so great!"

"I guess."

"You guess?"

"I'm just going to stick with my chocolate frogs."

"Alright suit yourself." All of the four girls began talking about the upcoming costume party that was on Halloween. Ginny wondered if it was a party that you should have a date for.

"Dumbledore never specified if we should of not." Ginny added to what she had previously said.

"I think why he's done that is so we don't have to deal with all the drama that goes with that. I don't think he's going to stop the older students from having a date to the ball." Jess replied while looking at Ginny.

"I think Jess brought up a good point." Hermione butted in. "Another reason I think that he didn't stress it is because it's a party that every year is invited to. I don't think he wants to encourage first second and third years to start having dates. Think how that would turn out if they starting dating that young. The project we did as sixth years they'll have to start having the fourth years doing."

"That wouldn't be good. I mean I didn't start dating until I was in fourth year. I can't imagine anyone younger than that dating" Ginny replied.

"I think fourth year it too young to date. Not a lot of people are mature at that age." Jess said as she closed her container of gummy worms.

"I agree Jess, but anyways." Rachel tried to change the subject before someone got upset. "I think its going to be a lot of fun."

"Yeah I think so too. Although, I don't know what I'm going to do with my hair, since super models have it so many different ways. Hopefully I'll decide before the last minute."

"I can help you with that Jess, if you think of anything or if you just need help." Ginny offered with a smile.

"Thanks, Gin. I might just have to take you up on one or both of those."

Ginny laughed, "Alright, no problem. You just let me know."

"Will do. Its hard to believe that Halloween is next week. I hope my dad gets the owl that I sent him this morning, its his birthday today"

"I'm sure he will if you sent it this morning."

"I would think so. So, what are we going to do for two hours until the carriages come back?"

"Do some more shopping?"

"I don't think so. I don't know about you three but I've been shopping almost the entire time I've been here. And I mean as much fun as it is watching Harry try pants on, I think I've had enough."

Ginny raised an eyebrow. "Watch Harry try pants on?"

Jess' cheeks tinted red. "I didn't watch him put them on, Gin. But he showed me what they looked like on. The pants are particular for the costume."

"Ooh, what's his costume?"

"That is a secret that only Harry and I know."

"Fine, I'll see it on Wednesday anyway."

"I think you can handle waiting until then."

"Hey, I know what we should do!"

"What, Gin?"

"We should go find the guys."

"Which guys?"

"Harry, Dean, Seamus, and company."

"Won't Ron be with them?" Hermione asked, trying to sound indifferent.

"He's probably with Lavender." Jess commented matter-of-factly.

Hermione didn't say anything in response. Rachel didn't know what to say since she wasn't that familiar with Ron and Hermione's issues.

"Lets go an see Harry and the other." Jess suggested as she stood. After a couple of minutes they were on their way to go and find the guys. They found them in the Quidditch shop. Hermione didn't look pleased as she saw the Chudley Cannons merchandise. They happened to be Ron's favorite team. Jess suggested to Harry that they all leave the Quidditch shop before Ron walked in with Lavender and world war three started. Harry agreed and soon they all were out of the store. They bummed around ad talked until the carriage came.

After half an hour of searching through the costume shop, Draco had found what he heeded. He paid for the two items quickly and left as fast as the packed crowd allowed him to. When he got out he wondered what this costume party was going to be like. He also wondered what his costume was going to look like when it was done. All he knew is that there were no bright colors on the costume. At least he didn't have to kill Pansy for being a complete moron and dressing him as a mutant sized pumpkin. Draco shuddered as he thought of it, glad that, that was not his fate. He joined back up with his cronies and they decided to go pick on some third years. When the time came for them to leave, they all climbed into the same carriage and were off.

Jess sat in the carriage for a few minutes in silence. She then looked at Harry. "Harry, did you remember to go and pick up the pants?"

Harry looked over at her. "Yeah, I got them not long before you girls came and joined us in the Quidditch store."

"Oh good! I was worried we'd both forget. I guess not." She sighed a sigh of relief.

Harry laughed, "I almost forgot but then we by chance walked by the store."

"Well, I'm glad you did."

"I'm curious as to what this is all going to look like when I have it all on."

"Its going to look great and no one is going to expect it."

"There's nothing else that needs to be done before Wednesday?"

"Nope. There are a few more things I'm going to have to help you with once you have everything on."

"Alright, did you get everything you needed?"

"Yeah I did. Actually I was surprised that it didn't take me longer than it did. I thought for sure it would take me forever to find something that I'd actually be okay with wearing."

"No, that was my problem." Hermione butted in.

"True, but we did find something you were actually okay with."

"That was a surprise in itself."

"Cheer up 'Mione. I think its going to look good."

"You really think so Jess?"

"I do Hermione. If I didn't think so, I wouldn't lie to you about it."

Hermione gave Jess a smile. "Thanks Jess."

"No problem." They hugged each other and laughed.

* * *

Author's note: Okay people this is probably the last update for a while. I have a really busy rest of the week ahead of me, and I hope to actually find some time to write but I doubt I will. I'm stuck AGAIN. Ugh, I hate it when that happens, its so annoying. Hopefully I will become un-stuck soonish. The next chapter after this one will be the long awaited Halloween costume party. You'll FINALLY get to figure out what Harry AND Draco are. As well as the others, because I know you're dieing to know what everyone else is... But, I will try and get it up sooner if people review. That being said if I don't get ten reviews for the next chapter I'm not putting it up until I get ten. So, there is your incentive and I will try and hopefully have some time in the next five days to at least make head way into typing up the next chapter. So, please review as always and until the next chapter!


	33. The Halloween party!

Hello everyone! I know its been so long since I've updated and for that I apologize. But I have been so busy. First off, I was working like crazy and then I went on vacation where I didn't have internet access. Fireadamant came and visited me and it was a lot of fun! And third, well the school year has now started up again. I had my first day today, I know starting on a Thursday is weird, but thats what my school does. Anyway, I sincerely apologize for not updating sooner, and I never meant it to take this long to put up the next chapter. That being said I have now typed up the next chapter and it is here for you to read! Today you get to figure out at least what Draco's costume is and there are obvious hints as to what Harry's is. In the next chapter Harry's costume will be revealed. This dance will probably be spanned over a few chapters because I happened to write a lot about it. So here is part one of the ball and without further delay lets get this party on a roll! I do not own Harry Potter, nor do I own the people/objects the characters are portaying in their costumes.

* * *

The next two days passed by very quickly. Everyone was buzzing around excitedly on Wednesday morning as it was less than a day until the party. Ron was still ignoring Harry, Hermione and Jess. His concentration was all on Lavender Brown. Hermione ignored it as best she could, but everyone could still tell she was very annoyed. The day's classes went by quickly, except for Potions. Snape was exceptionally cruel today as he docked off a total of eighty-five points from Gryffindor. Something had rubbed him the wrong way and he made the Gryffindor's pay for it. Luckily, Hermione was able to gain back thirty of the points in Defense Against the Dark Arts. Slughorn seemed cheerful enough for him and Snape as he almost bounced around the room excitedly while claiming how he loved parties.

Once Defense Against the Dark Arts was over the students had four hours until the party began.

"We're going to meet in the girls' bathroom on the second floor at five." Jess reminded Harry as they walked back to the Gryffindor common room.

"Alright, I think I can remember that." Harry had no idea what he was getting himself into.

"Oh and bring you invisibility cloak. We'll be done an hour before the party starts and I don't want anyone to see you until the party starts."

"Should I be scared" he asked.

"No, its nothing to be scared of, trust me."

"If you say so." He smiled at her. "Why are we meeting up at five if we're going to get done an hour early?"

"At six, Ginny is helping me with my hair and makeup."

"Oh, just wondering." They got to the portrait of the Fat Lady and Harry said the password. They both walked in and Jess headed up to the girls' dorm. She stopped on the second step from the bottom and faced Harry. "I'll see you at five." With a warm smile, Jess continued her journey up the stairs.

Harry watched her for a moment before going to his own room. When he got there, Harry decided to finish up a bit of homework as he waited for five o'clock. Jess was also doing homework in her room. At a quarter to five, Harry grabbed all of his costume pieces as well as his invisibility cloak and headed to the abandoned girls' bathroom on the second flood. He waited by the door, not daring to venture inside because he knew all too well who inhabited the bathroom.

Jess grabbed a few supplies as well as a picture and her wand and headed towards her destination. As she got there she noticed Harry and smiled. "I didn't keep you waiting long, did I?" She asked as she opened the door.

Harry held it open for her. "No, I just got here a couple minutes ago." They both walked in and as if on cue the female ghost known as Moaning Myrtle emerged from one of the bathroom stalls.

She whisked over to Harry and placed her arms around his neck. "Harry! I haven't seen you since that time in the prefect's bathroom."

Harry awkwardly fidgeted. Just because she was a ghost didn't mean she should intrude when people are taking baths. He took a step closer to Jess. "Myrtle, I'm afraid we have some important business to attend to while here."

"Oh." Myrtle pouted while floating in the air. "And I thought you were coming to visit me."

"Harry, why don't you go and change in one of the stalls." Jess suggested, trying to make this less awkward.

"Yeah, good idea." He began to walk over to one of the stalls, while looking back at Myrtle. Harry didn't want her following him in there.

Moaning Myrtle turned and faced Jess. "Why is he changing?"

"We have a costume party today for Halloween and I'm helping him get ready." Jess responded un-phased.

"Why wasn't I invited?" She asked Jess with a tone of bitterness in her voice.

"I'm sure you are welcome to come, Myrtle."

"Oh? Well then why wasn't I told about it until now?"

"I… I don't know."

"Maybe because I'm not invited!" Myrtle zoomed past Jess and back into her bathroom stall. It was obvious she went to go hide in the toilet die to the sudden splash of water. There Moaning Myrtle sobbed about not being invited.

Soon after Myrtle's plight, Harry came out in his costume. "How's this?"

Jess laughed and smiled brightly. "That is fantastic! Did you get the contacts I asked you to get?"

"Oh, yeah. Here let me go put them in." Harry walked over to the mirror and put in the contacts. "There feel weird." He replied as he walked back over to Jess.

"I would imagine so if you have worn glasses all your life." Jess conjured up a chair. "Take a seat."

Harry sat down in the chair as Jess got her stuff ready. "I don't think I'll make a habit out of wearing these."

"Wear whatever makes you feel comfortable, Harry." Jess thought for a moment. She then grabbed out some eyeliner. "I'm not that good at this but I think it'll be better than nothing."

Harry looked at her oddly. "Makeup?"

"Trust me it'll look great."

"I don't know if I like this, Jess."

"Harry, it'll be fine. It completes the look."

"Can't I just go like this?"

"No, because then people won't understand you're someone specific."

Harry groaned, "Don't think we're making a hobby out of this. This is a onetime deal."

She laughed and kissed his cheek. "I know Harry, and this doesn't make you any less manly. Now close your eyes."

Harry reluctantly closed his eyes. He followed all of Jess' orders until she put the makeup away. "Am I done now?"

"No, no silly. You need some hair extensions."

He looked at her questionably. "Are you sure you're not making me a girl?"

"I'm absolutely positive." Jess grabbed out her wand and cast a spell that made his hair grow a little past his shoulders. She then styled it and added the finishing touches. "Tada!"

He rose from his chair and looked in the mirror. "Whoa!"

"Do you like it?"

"Well, it definitely looks like what I'm supposed to be." He turned around and gave Jess a quick kiss on the lips. "It looks bloody fantastic!"

Jess laughed and played with one of his now long locks of raven hair. "I must admit you look pretty hot like that."

He grinned, "So, you said I should enter in a specific way?"

"Yes of course you should!" She handed him an item. "That should work. Just work on your voice and how you walk around and it'll be perfect."

"Thanks for helping me, Jess. I'd be lost without you."

Jess smiled and packed up her stuff. "I have to go and meet up with Ginny. I'll see you in an hour."

"Alright, see ya." After a light kiss they parted ways. Harry put on his invisibility cloak and Jess went back up to the Gryffindor house and up to Ginny's room.

After an hour Jess was finished getting ready. Ginny gave her a quick glance over. "Jess you look amazing! Stand up and check it out in our mirror."

"Alright." Jess stood and walked over to the mirror. Her eyes widened and her mouth hung open. "That's me?" She asked Ginny.

Ginny laughed and walked over. "Yeah that's you."

"Wow… I have never looked this good in my life." Jess gently touched her cheek. "Ginny, I don't know how to thank you!" She turned and hugged the redhead tightly. Jess then turned back and inspected herself in the mirror. Her luscious brown hair cascaded down her back in elegant curls that ended a few inches above her rear end. The curls were the perfect size and had the perfect bounce to them. She then looked at her face. She had on light black mascara and eyeliner, her eye shadow was a cream color. Ginny had put light reddish blush on her and cherry red lipstick. Jess' eyes moved down to the rest of her body. She was wearing a full length red gown. It fit perfectly and hugged her curves in all the right places. Her eyes finally rested on her red open toe pumps that completed the look.

Ginny placed her hand on Jess' bare arm. "Ready to head down?"

"Yeah, I think so." Jess turned and faced her. "Do I look ready?"

"You look like you should be walking down a run-way, Jess." She laughed, "I did a pretty good job dulling you up."

"I would say so. Hopefully my feet last the night. I'm not used to wearing high heels. Although I did put a couple charms on these so they'll hopefully be more comfortable."

Ginny had changed into her Quidditch outfit and grabbed her broom. "Alright lets go!" They both left the room and proceeded to walk to the Great Hall.

When they got there everyone was already inside. "I think we're a couple of minutes late, Gin."

The redhead looked at her. "Its alright to be fashionably late, Jess. You are a model after all."

"I don't have the required height to be a model, among other things."

"You're tall enough in those heels."

"These things are three inches tall. I've never been 5'7 in my life."

"Well, you are now. Lets go and find Hermione." Ginny opened the door and they both walked in.

Draco was already in the Great Hall. He was being checked out by half of the female population of the school. Draco looked positively sexy dressed all in black. His shirt clung to his chest. He had undone the first two buttons of his shirt, which caused an immediate reaction from the female students. It gave them all a peak at his toned chest, but was only enough to tease them and drive them all mad. Draco wore black leather gloves as well as a sword at his belt. The bridge of Draco's nose and up was covered by a black mask that he had tied in the back. On the top of his head he wore a black hat. No one had any idea who he was except Pansy, who was the one that chose the costume for him. Draco had even gone to the trouble to change his hair black so his vibrant hair didn't give him away. A couple six year Hufflepuff girls swooned when Draco winked at them in a sexy way. A small smirk crossed over his face. So his role tonight was to be the sexy, mysterious heartthrob. He could so that, after all he had been blessed with rather attractive looks. A sudden commotion over at the doors into the Great Hall caused him to glance over and wonder who was stealing his lime-light.

There she was. It was Anderson standing at the doors with Weaselette. Jess stood there scanning the room for someone. By the looks on all of the guys' faces, they were praying it was them. Once she found the person in the crowd, Jess began to walk over to the lucky soul. It turned out to be Hermione. Draco's breath was taken away at the moment his eyes first laid eyes on her. He couldn't peel them away as she walked over to Hermione. When he finally found his voice and the will power to look away he muttered to himself. "Holy shit…" Tonight, Anderson perfectly fit all the descriptions of a blonde bombshell, except that she was a brunette. But the thing that made her even more beautiful, if that was possible, was that she dressed in a classy and decent way. She wasn't only half dressed. He had a feeling that both her and Jess would be occupied the entire night by admirer's begging for a dance. As if she knew what he was thinking, Pansy came over.

"Draco!" Pansy ran over. She practically turned into much on the spot. "Draco you look…"

"Hot?" He finished for her.

"More than that! Its hard to put into words!"

"So I've heard."

"I want the first dance, Drakie."

He visibly cringed, but she had picked out this costume for him. "Fine." You could tell he struggled with the idea. Draco noticed that Pansy had a fake cat on her shoulder. "What are you supposed to be?" His eyebrow rose, though you could not see it because of his mask."

"Crabbe thought it would be funny if I was a crazy cat lady." Pansy replied stiffly.

He held back the laugh. "Interesting."

"Have you seen the mudblood?"

Draco looked at her. "There's a lot of mudblood's, Parkinson."

"I mean the one that looks like a slut." She motioned over to Jess, who looked far from a slut.

"Yeah, what about it?" He tried his best to sound indifferent and succeeded.

"Her kind shouldn't be allowed to come to this party. It spoils it for the rest of us."

He merely nodded while taking one last glance at her. He wondered if she had a date and if she did, who it was.

* * *

Chapter 33 is up! Again, I do feel really bad that I tool so long in updating, and hopefully it won't take me that long ever again. I'm going to try and shoot for one update a week now that I'm in school. If I have more time I'll see what I can do. I also have to work on writing the story as well, which I have at least managed to do lately. But as always I ask you all to review. When you review it gives me the final push into finally typing it up so you all can enjoy. The less reviews there are the less motivated I feel in typing it up. I know you all have been patient with me and how long I took with this last chapter, I ask you in the kindest way possible to please review! I hope you all liked the chapter and more exciting things are soon on the way! Until next chapter, please review!-Jess


	34. Pirates and Avis

Alright! Well I'm back sooner than I thought I would be! Thanks to all of you that reviewed! Its great to know that you are all still here with me. Now, I think this is the stuff you guys have been waiting for. Tension is mounting as this party progresses as well as other thoughts and feelings are buzzing around. Also, you guys get to finally figure out what Harry is! As well as some other funny costumes. I still feel so bad for Seamus... The poor soul. Anyway, I think there are a few disclaimers before we get this thing rolling. First off, I do not own Harry Potter. Secondly, I do not own any of the bands I mentioned in this chapter. Enjoy!

As if on cue some guy dressed as a pirate with an empty bottle of rum came running in. He stopped a few feet away from the door, took a swig of the non-existent rum and ran over to Ginny who was with Dean, Dean was a mummy. He halted right by Ginny and asked her and Dean. "Why is the rum gone?" In his best Johnny Depp impersonation.

"Uh, looks like you fried the bottle man." Was Dean's response.

"I did?" He looked at the bottle. "Oh, so I did."

Ginny was beyond confused. "Who are you?"

"Why I'm Captain Jack Sparrow!" He looked very proud of this fact.

"I mean which student are you? Do I know you?"

He grinned, "Hmm, don't know luv. Does the name Harry Potter ring a bell?"

She looked at him as though he had sprouted another head. "Harry?!"

"Shh." Harry held his finger up to his lips. "Its Captain Jack Sparrow now."

"I have no idea who that is but you look… wow…"

Harry had Captain Jack Sparrow's hair, bandanna and eye makeup, thanks to Jess. He also had put together a pretty decent pirate outfit. "Hey, do you know where Jess and Hermione are?"

"Follow the large crowd of guys and you'll find them."

Harry raised an eyebrow and then shrugged. "Alright, see ya Gin."

"Wait, Harry!" Ginny finally had noticed his scar and was convinced it was in fact him.

He turned around and faced her. "Yes, luv?"

"Are you going to promise me a dance sometime tonight?"

"Didn't even think of that, but yes I will. Better give Hermione one too. I'll come and fine you late. See ya." Harry ran off over to Jess and Hermione. When he saw Jess his brown eyes, thanks to the colored contacts, widened. "Bloody hell, Jess!"

Jess blushed as she saw Harry. "Did I do something?"

"You're stunningly beautiful is all." He looked over at Hermione. "You look great too 'Mione."

Hermione actually looked pretty decent, even pretty as a librarian. "Harry? Is that you under there?"

He grinned and laughed. "Yeah its me."

"You made him Johnny Depp?" Hermione asked as she looked over at Jess.

"I made him Captain Jack Sparrow." Jess corrected with a smile.

"Aye, now where's the rum?" He asked while holding up his bottle. "Mine's empty."

The girls both laughed as he looked longingly at the bottle, wishing it was full again. Hermione was the first to stop laughing. "Harry, how do you know that much about him?"

"Jess and I watched the movie in the Room of Requirement." He responded, tearing his gaze away from the bottle and over to Hermione.

"You can do that?"

"It is the Room of Requirement."

"I suppose so." Just then, they saw what looked like Percy Weasley walk by with a rather revealing nurse.

Harry blinked before he registered that the nurse was Lavender. He knew this because he had drawn her name when it came to the costumes. Which meant it was safe to say that she was with Ron and not Percy. "Any idea why he's dressed like Percy?" Harry asked Hermione.

"I have no idea."

Seamus walked up to them with a grin on his face. "That would be because I drew his name and I told him he was supposed to be a nerd. I didn't tell him to be Percy. That was his own take on what a nerd looks like."

"He couldn't have nailed it any better." Jess responded as she watched the pair walk off. "Lavender needs to cover up a bit."

Hermione didn't look pleased about Ron and Lavender. She looked away from the pair. "Seamus, are you what I think you are?"

Seamus scowled as if on command. "I'm going to get Parvati for this. She'll pay." Seamus was dressed as a ballerina. At least he had been able to pick out the colors. He decided on a black leotard and tights. The manliest color he had found for the tutu was gold. Any guy would have been extremely irate and displeased if they were in his shoes, or ballet slippers. Seamus shuffled away and back into the corner.

"Poor guy." Jess commented as he slunk away. "That was unusually cruel for Parvati." She looked around at the other costumes. "Is Neville a rubber ducky?"

Sure enough Neville was in bright yellow. He had somehow found a fake bill and put it on his head. He looked a bit uncomfortable as he walked around, trying not to hit anyone in the face with it. The Patil twins couldn't have been any different in costumes if they tried. Hermione had gotten Parvati's 

name and made her a princess, while Padma on the other hand had, had the misfortune of having Rachel get her name. Padma was dressed all in pink, with a blue plastic chair floating an inch above her head.

"What is she supposed to be?" Harry asked as Padma came into view.

Hermione was thinking of all the possibilities but didn't really come up with any. "I have no idea."

Jess on the other hand started laughing. "She didn't."

"What are you talking about Jess?" Hermione asked as she looked over at her.

"Rachel was the one that got her name." She said as it that explained everything.

"And what did she make, Padma?"

"You mean its not obvious?"

"No… What is she?"

"See the little plastic kiddie chair floating about her head?"

"Yes."

"Padma is wearing all pink."

"Jess, we still don't get it" Hermione replied.

"Oh. Well, Rachel made Padma, gum under a chair." Jess replied as she started laughing again.

"How was that obvious?" Harry asked in curiosity.

"Now that you mention it, it does make sense." Hermione still thought it was weird, but at least she could visualize it now.

Rachel came bounding over, dressed as the lead singer of the Weird Sisters. "Hey Jess! What do you think of Padma's costume?"

Jess smiled at her. "Its definitely original I'll give it that."

"What else did you expect from me?"

"Absolutely nothing."

Rachel laughed and grinned as she looked over at Padma. Padma on the other hand didn't seem too happy about it. Rachel looked back over at Jess. "You look great Jess!"

"Thanks, it was Dean Thomas' idea. I must say it did turn out pretty well."

Rachel gasped as she looked at Harry. "No freaking way! You're Captain Jack Sparrow!"

"Welcome to the Caribbean luv." Harry said with a cheeky grin on his face.

"That's fantastic! I wonder who came up with that." She looked back over at Jess.

This caused her to laugh. "What can I say? I love pirates!"

"So do I!" Rachel grinned, happy that Jess had made Harry wear such an awesome costume.

All of a sudden a voice came, booming over everyone else's. It was Dumbledore dressed as Uncle Sam, representing Independence Day and the fourth of July. This got a laugh out of Jess and Rachel, being the lone American representatives. "Attention everyone!" Everyone looked over at Dumbledore. "I would like to bid you all a warm welcome to our annual celebration of Halloween. And now I would like to introduce our musical act for the evening. The Weird Sisters! Also, do feel free to go onto the grounds for ghost stories around the fire that Hagrid has waiting outside." Once Dumbledore was done speaking the Weird Sisters came out with a bang and began playing on of their songs. The entire student body began to dance around in a giant mosh pit. They bounced around and sang the lyrics along with the band. Rachel mimicked the lead singer since she was dressed up just like him. After the first couple songs everyone had gotten into the groove of things and actually danced around in pairs.

Myron, the lead singer decided to jazz up the crowd. "Thank you Hogwarts for having us!" A loud round of cheers sounded before he continued. "We will be your humble hosts this evening. We talked with headmaster Dumbledore and decided that we would allow for song requests. Here's the fun part, if you have any muggle songs we will play them as well! There's a box over by the teachers table, just write down the name of the song and who its written by and we should be able to figure it out! But for now, lets get this party rockin' like a Hippogriff!" The crowd screamed as they sang their song, Like a Hippogriff.

And so the party began. After a few more songs Jess and her friends headed to one of the tables to sit down and drink punch. Harry, being the gentleman, or a momentary gentleman, went and got drinks for the four of them, which included him, Jess, Hermione and Rachel. Ginny and Dean soon came over and joined them and Dean went off to get him and Ginny drinks. Delicious snacks and candies were on the tables. Jess decided to go for a caramel apple. Harry came back with the drinks as did Dean. They all sat around and talked.

"So, don't you think the Weird Sisters are awesome or what?" Ginny gushed as the boys came back. They happened to be her favorite band.

"They sort of remind me of today's rock muggle bands, except a hundred times better." Jess replied, "I don't really like today's muggle music. I prefer the older rock scene."

"Do you like the Weird Sisters?"

"I said I did, Ginny." Jess laughed, "I'll have to play you some muggle music sometime. Don't you think so girls?"

Rachel and Hermione nodded. Rachel knew Jess' music taste quite well and liked a lot of what she did, as well as some newer music.

"Hermione! I can't believe we haven't talked about music before. I'm guessing you like stuff like the Beatles."

Hermione looked over at Jess. "They're alright. I prefer Elton John myself."

"Oh, he's amazing! What else do you like?"

"I fancy myself a bit of Queen."

"Seriously? I wouldn't have guessed that. Elton John isn't as heavy as them."

"You learn something new every day."

Ginny was the only one who didn't really know who or what they were talking about.

Rachel piped in. "You know what this dance needs?"

Jess raised an eyebrow. "Are you thinking what I'm thinking?"

"Perhaps."

"What would that be" asked Ginny.

"Bohemian Rhapsody." They both answered and then laughed.

"Bohemian what?"

"Rhapsody! Only probably the greatest Queen, song ever!" Rachel replied with much gusto.

"Alright." Ginny didn't seem that convinced.

"Rachel, can you request that one? I have another on in mind already" Jess asked.

"Sure thing! Should we do it now?"

"You can if you like."

"Alright I will!" Rachel got up and left the table. When she came back she was laughing up a storm. "Oh my gosh, have you seen Snape?"

"At the party?"

"Yes…"  
"No, why does he look weird?"

"See for yourself." Rachel pointed to the professor's table. It looked like they all decided to go with the theme of holidays, Dumbledore was Uncle Sam, McGonagall was a black cat for Halloween. Flitwick was a leprechaun for St. Patrick's day, Hagrid was Santa Claus, apparently Sprout was representing Valentine's day because she was giant heart. Jess' eyes finally landed on Snape. His face looked sour and as though he was about to murder the next person that crossed his path. Jess erupted into laughter as did Harry, Ginny, Rachel, Dean and Hermione. Snape, was the Easter bunny.

Draco had also saw professor Snape and wondered who had the death wish. He wasn't able to reflect on it long as a fifth year Ravenclaw girl came up to him nervously. He inwardly sighed and offered his hand for a dance. The girl blushed and accepted as they started dancing. Draco was pretty sure that if any of these people knew it was him they'd be a bit more cautious of asking him. True on a regular day he still had a lot of fangirls but they knew not to approach him. He looked over to where Jess was sitting and saw that Potter, Granger and that other girl Rachel, hadn't left her side. That ensured her safety from all of the guys longingly looking at her, as well as more importantly, Zabini.

Zabini had noticed her alright. She looked absolutely beautiful which determined him all the more to get what he wanted. He watched her carefully, waiting for her group to deliberate, but to his annoyance they hadn't. In fact they grew in size as Ginny and Dean came over. How was he ever going to get her alone at this rate? Sighing, he continued to dance with the girl he was dancing with.

Jess and her gang went back out to the dance floor. Harry danced with Jess the entire time. Meanwhile, Draco was changing dance partners left and right. He side glanced at Jess as her and Harry dance by. After a couple dances, Harry, Hermione, Jess and Rachel headed outside to the enormously large bonfire that Hagrid had going. A decent amount of students were out there as the group of four sat down. They sat down right in the middle of a ghost story a third year Gryffindor was telling. Harry located the marshmallows and sticks and grabbed four of each. A seventh year Slytherin and his pals bullied their way over and told a story that freaked out all of the younger students. The younger students ran back up to the castle where it was safe and cozy. Hagrid lumbered over to the Slytherin group and docked off fifty points for scaring the poor kids.

Jess felt a warm arm slink around her shoulder. She turned and smiled to see that the arm belonged to Harry. He smiled at her and when no one was looking, stole a quick kiss. The four sat at the bonfire and enjoyed the tranquility of it all. It was one of those moments that you reflected back on in years to come. This is how life should really be, so calm and peaceful, spending it with those you care so much for. Although as perfect as this moment felt they all realized someone was missing. The one who felt it most was Hermione. Tears began to form in her eyes. _Where was Ron when he was needed? Off with another girl, _Hermione thought to herself. _He should be here,_ she continued. Jess and Harry couldn't agree anymore. Jess looked over to her. This wasn't what she needed. What Hermione needed was that cheery freckled face to come out of the castle and tell her that everything is alright, that he's 

sorry for how he's been treating her. And if it was allowed, a warm embrace. Yes, that's what Hermione needed.

"How much longer is he going to keep this up?" Jess whispered to Harry.

"If you mean Ron, I'm not sure." He whispered back.

"Its really getting to 'Mione, and I for one can't stand seeing her like this."

"I know Jess, neither can I."

"Maybe she should just give up on him."

"Maybe."

"But at the same time I know that's not what she should do. They're perfect for each other, Harry. I just wish one of them if not both of them would see it."

"He'll realize it Jess."

"I'm not so sure about that Harry."

"He will. I'm sure of it."

"Alright, if you say so." Jess shivered as a blast of icy wind came their way.

"Maybe we should go back inside." Harry suggested as his arm drew her closer to shield her from the wind.

"Good idea." They both got up and Hermione and Rachel stood as well. They all walked back into the Great Hall.

This is where everything got out of hand. There in broad daylight, Ron and Lavender were snogging at one of the tables. Lavender had sat on Ron's lap and they looked pretty interested in each other as they kissed. Unfortunately, Hermione was the first one to see them of her group and marched over there with her wand out. "Avis." She whispered bitterly, and a small flock of canaries came into being. When Hermione reached the snogging couple, Ron glanced up at her. "Oppungo!" She shouted and the canaries attacked Ron. Ron stood and ran around, trying to shield his face that the canaries were busy pecking at. Lavender screamed and ran over to Ron to try and help him. The whole student body that was present looked on in amazement at what they just saw. Hermione Granger just sicked a bunch of birds on one of her best friends. Harry ran over quickly and Jess followed him.

"Hermione please call off the birds. I think Ron has learned his lesson… Hermione!" Jess shook her lightly, which seemed to bring her to her senses. Hermione called off the spells. Her eyes began to water again. Jess quickly enveloped Hermione in a hug. "Shh, its alright." She looked up and noticed Ron was on the floor. "Harry, take her for a moment."

Harry nodded and hugged Hermione while trying to calm her down. Jess walked over to Ron and Lavender, who was huddled down right next to him. He looked up and saw Jess standing there.

"Nice going. You're really outdone yourself this time. I hope you're happy with yourself, you selfish git! Control your damn hormones in public! And for Merlin's sake Lavender! Button that up! Was that project we did for six weeks completely wasted on you? You both disgust me!" Jess shouted at the pair. She then whipped out her wand. "Don't even think of coming close to any of us until you've realized how much of a twit you've been." With that Jess left and walked back over to Harry, Hermione, Rachel and now Ginny and Dean. "Is she alright?"

"She will be" Harry replied. "'Mione?"

Hermione looked up, her tears gone. "Harry, I'd like that dance if you don't mind?"

He looked over at Jess, who simply smiled. "Of course, 'Mione. As many as you like. I'll be back once we're done Jess."

"Take your time. You might as well take your dance with Ginny too. I'll be fine." Jess responded as she watched everyone deliberate, leaving her alone.

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So chapter 34 is up now! I hope everyone is excited with what is going to happen next! Its going to be well, lets say interesting to say the least. Hopefully there's been enough Draco since hes been popping in and out of the scene at this party. He'll be in most of the next chapter I believe. So, you all know what to do. If you want to see the next one soon please review. And I'm telling you all, the next one I think you guys are going to love. So please, please, please review! I appricate all your comments. Thanks to eveyone who reviewed last time. And until next chapter, please Read and Review!


	35. The dance

Hello everyone! I know this is pretty soon in relationship to when I usually post but I have my reasons. One I didn't have anything better to do, and two I know have 250 reviews! In honor and celebration of that I would first like to say THANK YOU to ALL of you who have reviewed and read along thus far. It does me proud to know that I have such positive feedback on this story. Ani-sand happened to be the 250th review so, I think some sort of prize is in order. Though, I'm not really going to hand one out but, extra kudos and thanks to you! As well as some imaginary cookies. :D I think this is quite appropriate with such a monumental achievement that you guys get this chapter in particular. Thats all I'm going to say on the matter but I'm guessing that many of you will be happy with what happens in this chapter. I know I was... Without further delay I must get the disclaimers out of the way. First off as usual I do not own Harry Potter. And secondly I do not own the song choice that I chose. It belongs to Seal. And yes it is an awesome song!

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Blaise Zabini jumped on this as fast as he possibly could. Finally, she was alone. He was dressed up as a vampire. Zabini walked over to her. "Care for a dance?"

Jess noticed it was him and panicked. She still hadn't told anyone about her last encounter with him. Jess tried to keep her cool. "I was going to get come punch actually."

"Let me rephrase that." Zabini harshly grabbed her wrist and kept her on the dance floor. "Lets dance." Before Jess could protest anymore Zabini had snaked his arms around her waist, even though the song didn't call for that type of dance.

"Zabini, let go." She demanded while trying to slip out of his grasp.

"I don't think so." His grip tightened and his one hand slipped down and rested on her rear end. Jess stepped on his foot as hard as she could but his hand stayed.

A pair of crystal blue eyes had stayed on Jess as he danced with Pansy. Blaise had made his way over to Jess lightening fast and was now being a creep. "Damn it!" He whispered frustrated.

Pansy looked up at him. "Is there something wrong Draco?"

Draco twirled her around in the direction of Jess and Zabini. Pansy missed his hand and went farther than she should have, but that was his plan. Draco went after her and caught her hands. They continued to spin around closer and closer to the pair. The dance was completely different so Pansy wondered why they were spinning around so much. A second later Pansy felt herself crashing into someone. When she looked at the person, she noticed it was Zabini.

Zabini had let go of Jess when he was roughly bumped into. He glared when he saw Pansy and some guy that he didn't know. The song ended and Draco pushed Pansy and Zabini together and sent them off.

Jess looked up at the guy and felt her heart flutter. He had to be the hottest guy there. Dressed all in black, as Zorro, she couldn't tell who it was because of the mask and the hat. Jess noticed he had a bit of black hair peeking out from under the hat. Her eyes traveled down to his chest, which you could see just enough to tease her. She blushed as she thought of what he might look like without it on. How could she have not seen such a sexy guy? Jess hadn't seen him until this very moment.

The voice of the lead singer of the Weird Sisters cut off her thoughts. "Alright this next song was a requested muggle son. By the sound of it, it's a slower dance. Grab a partner and here it goes, Kiss from a Rose, by Seal."

"Thank you, you have no idea how relieved I am to have him gone." Jess said to the masked hunk. When she heard the song title she frowned slightly, that was the song she wanted to slow dance with Harry to, but this person would be a good second choice.

Draco hadn't said a thing. He merely looked at her; she was even more beautiful up close. As soon as the song began he found himself offering his hand to her.

Jess lightly placed her hand in his and her other hand wrapped around his neck and lightly rested on the back of his neck. Draco softly placed his other hand on her waist and led her in the dance. They looked into each other's eyes as the beginning instrumental piece played. When Myron began to sing, Jess found herself singing along softly, only loud enough so that Draco could hear her.

_There used to be a graying tower alone on the sea. You became the light on the dark side of me. Love remained a drug that's the high and not the pill._ Jess' voice was soft yet beautiful. She smiled as she sang along.

Draco watched her as they danced. He listened to her beautiful voice, being taken away from reality and swept into a fantasy, where all that mattered was him and her, together. They danced whimsically together; there was no flaw in their steps. Draco felt something that he couldn't describe; it was warm and settled contently in his heart as he gazed into her emerald eyes.

_But did you know, that when it snows. My eyes became large and the light that you shine can be seen._

Draco thought in this moment, Jess shined more than the brightest beacon, than the morning sun. Nothing could be more satisfying than the glow that came off from her. He had to be the luckiest man there to share this dance with her.

_Baby, I compare you to a kiss from a rose on the grave. Ooh, the more I get of you the stranger it feels, yeah. And now that your rose is in bloom, a light hits the gloom on the grave._

He felt lighter, not just on his feet but in his very being. Draco had such a dark past, that he was reminded of everyday. It haunted him, and he tried to forget it all. But in this moment, all thoughts of it were washed away, because of her.

_There's so much a man can tell you, so much he can say. You remain, my power, my pleasure, my pain. To me you're like a growing addiction that I can't deny. Won't you tell me is that healthy, baby?_

Draco listened to her words. They were powerful and full of something Draco wasn't an expert at by any regards, love. He felt like Jess wasn't just singing them, but that she was 

singing it for him. One caught him off guard. Growing addiction? Was that what she was becoming for him? And if so, how much longer could he deny it?

_But did you know that when it snows, my eyes become large and the light you shine can be been. Baby, I compare you to a kiss from a rose on the grave. Ooh, the more I get of you, the stranger it feels, yeah. Now that your rose is in bloom, a light hits the gloom on the grave. I've been kissed by a rose. I've been kissed by a rose on the grave. I've been kissed by a rose on the grave. I've been kissed by a rose on the grave… And should I fall along the way, I've been kissed by a rose on the grave. There is so much a man can tell you so much he can say. You remain, my power, my pleasure, my pain. To me you're like a growing addiction that I can't deny. Won't you tell me is that healthy baby? But did you know that when it snows, my eyes become large and the light that you shine can be seen. Baby, I compare you to a kiss from a rose on the grave. Ooh, the more I get of you the stranger I feel, yeah. Now that your rose is in bloom, a light hits the gloom on the grave. Yes I compare you to a kiss from a rose on the grave. Ooh, the more I get of you the stranger I feel, yeah. And now that your rose is in bloom, a light hits the gloom on the grave. Now that your rose is in bloom, a light hits the gloom on the grave._

Draco felt himself losing all sense of what was going on around him. The only thing he could see was her, and it was bloody fantastic. They looked in each other's eyes as Jess serenaded him. He felt his heart swell up and a longing come forth. As the song began to fade, Draco felt himself let go of her hand and his hand lightly graze her cheek, as his other stayed on her waist. She looked up at him, a light blush on her cheeks. He began to lean his head down to hers ever so slightly. He felt compelled to her kiss. Never in his life had Draco felt the urge to kiss someone this strongly. As the last verse ended, they had stopped moving, standing still amongst the throng of students still dancing. Draco was so close to her face. He had stopped a mere inch from her face and looked at her. Something gripped him, like a reality check, he pulled away. His blush in his cheeks hid partly by his mask.

Jess looked up at him and took a step back, making Draco's hands fall to his side. "I'm sorry if you got the wrong idea, but I'm with someone." She looked at him one last time before walking over to her friends.

She was with someone? Whoever it was, she hid it well. Draco hadn't suspected that. He watched he leave with two feelings bubbling up inside him. The first was anger. If she was with someone, why hadn't they noticed that Zabini was after her? It was obvious to him. Or had she not told him about Zabini threatening her and her scared?

The second feeling surprised him to say the least. As he watched her leave, Draco wished that she would come back to him. There was a longing inside of him that, that dance had never ended. He had never felt that way about someone before, let alone a girl. He had this knowing in his heart. It had to be the most work his heart had done in years. His father 

had tried to stomp out all emotion but anger out of him. It looked like Lucius hadn't done a thorough job, or that Draco had resisted him and had much more determination than he had thought.

Thinking about his father made a third feeling crop up inside Draco, and that was fear. He had almost kissed her! A muggle-born! What would have happened if he hadn't stopped? Someone probably would have noticed. But would they know its him? Hopefully he had disguised himself well enough, but he could never be too sure. Pansy could have told half of the student body by now what his costume was. Someone could have slipped word to his father. That would be the end of Draco. Lucius would not tolerate his son falling for a muggle-born witch. Wait a minute. Falling for? He wasn't falling for her was he? Surely not! Draco Malfoy didn't fall for anyone! But then why had he felt angry when he hadn't kissed her? He had wanted to slam his fist into a table and yell the first profanity that came to his mind. And when she mentioned she was already with someone. Draco had felt an enormous wave of jealously come over him. If he had figured out who she was dating at that moment, he would have for sure sent a hex his way, possibly an unforgivable one, like the torture curse. Or he would have tackled the bastard to the floor and gave him serious enough injuries that he'd be in the hospital wing for the remainder of the week. And it was this untamed rage along with the sudden sensation he had gotten when he was about to kiss her, that had Draco second guessing himself. And he was afraid.

* * *

I'm sort of dieing to know what you all thought of this chapter. Yes I do know it was short but I did update rather quickly compared to usual. Drakie-kins is finally realizing some stuff that he really doesn't know anything about. Aww the poor thing! Hopefully everyone liked this chapter as much as I did. If not oh well I suppose. Anyways, I don't know when the next one will be out, but yes it will be shorter because thats where the magical cut off seems best to fit. So, I ask all of you to please review and tell me your thoughts.


	36. The end of the night and Queen

Hello everyone! Now I know it has been quite a while since I have updated but I have two reasons for this and hopefully you will understand/accept one or both of them. First off I've been really busy between school and work. College life isn't the easiest and well the homework isn't either. As for having free time on the weekends it seems like I have sold my soul to my job on the weekends. (sigh) It sucks but its how I make money. My other reason is that I haven't been writing a lot over the last couple weeks. I actually took like a week or a little more off from writing and focused on a book series, (Twilight) yes I sort of got sucked into it. (notes that Im wearing an Edward Cullen shirt as I type this... -- I've only read the first two so far) But the last couple days I have been trying to get back to my writing. At first you know how it goes when you haven't looked at it for a while. Its like there's this fog that you can't shake off because you can't remember what was going on. I'm getting over that right now and once I am done posting this chapter for you all I plan to continue writing tonight since its not quite 5:30 yet, I have plenty of time. I guess I do have a bit of a third reason that I am also working through. I'm a tad stuck in the story as what to do with it. Though I have written a list down and hopefully this will help that problem. I might ask you guys on your opinions on some of the things once I get around to them. I believe that's all I have for you for now. Also, since its been about two weeks since I have updated I figured it my duty to give you a longer chapter this time. Hopefully you will all forgive my absense and be happy with the longer chapter :) Or I can hope you will be... I see that this updating once a week thing might not be able to happen every week, so I'm going to shoot for once every other week, or try my darndest to od every week. We'll see how that goes and if I ever have time. So, without further delay, I do not own Harry Potter, nor do I own the song Bohemian Rhapsody, its property of Queen. I merely love the song to pieces and saw it fit.

* * *

Jess walked back over to Harry who had just finished his dance with Ginny. She was in deep thought as well as confusion as she approached him. "Hey Harry." Jess said as she came up to him.

"Hey Jess." Harry smiled and looked at her. "Hermione has calmed down quite a bit now."

"Oh, I'm glad!" A smile showed up on her face. "I was worried about her. She seemed really upset."

"Ginny just went to go and talk with her. I'm sure she'll have forgotten about it by tomorrow morning."

"I hope so… Harry?"

"Yeah Jess?"

"The last song that played was the one I chose so we could dance to it together."

"Oh." He felt a little stupid for having left her. "I'm really sorry, Jess. I didn't know. I if I had, I would have made sure we would have danced to it together. Next time a song comes on like that I promise I'm yours."

"Okay. You know I'm going to keep you to your word?'

Harry laughed, "Yes I do. I know you better than to blow it off."

Myron spoke over the crowd again. "Ladies and Gentlemen! Witches and Wizards! May I have you attention please?" Everyone looked over at him. "Alright, now we have one last song for the night. It's a request from one of you. So everybody gather around and DANCE!" As he finished something on the stage exploded and caused a large cloud of smoke. This was thought to be done on purpose as a piano began to play. Jess grinned as she knew right away what it was. Rachel quickly ran up to her.

"They're playing it, Jess!' She shouted with glee.

"I know! There isn't a more perfect way to end the night!" Jess looked over at Harry who was standing there, waiting for the song to pick up.

The lead singer began to sing. "Is this the real life? Is this just fantasy? Caught in a landslide no escape from reality. Open your eyes, look up to the skies and see. I'm just a poor boy, I need no sympathy. Because I'm easy come, easy go, little high, little low. Hit me when the wind blows. Doesn't really matter to me… To me…"

Jess and Rachel were bouncing around and singing along. A lot of people had never heard of this song because wizarding families didn't listen to muggle music. Which was a real shame, of that's what Jess and Rachel thought.

"Mama, just killed a man. Put a gun against his head, pulled my trigger now he's dead. Mama, life had just began, but now I've gone and thrown it all away! Mama! Oooo! Didn't mean to make you cry!" The song was starting to pick up as the drums sounded. "If I'm not back this time tomorrow, carry on, carry on. As if nothing really matters." A small piano piece was played before Myron continued singing. "Too late, my time has come. Send shivers down my spine, body's achin' all the time. Goodbye everybody, I've got to go. Got to leave you all behind and face the truth! " The guitar began to blare as Myron belted out loudly. "Mama! Oooo! I don't want to die! Sometimes wish I'd never been born at all!"

An amazing guitar solo was played and by this time everyone was dancing and rocking out. Jess and Rachel danced in a circle as Harry danced solely.

"I see a little silhouette of a man. Scaramouch! Scaramouch, will you do the Fandango?"

The entire band had joined Myron. "Thunderbolt and lightening, very, very frightening!"

"Galileo!" One of them shouted.

"Galileo!" Another yelled back

"Galileo!"

"Galileo!"

Then they both sang together. "Galileo, Figaro!"

Myron then took lead again. "I'm just a poor boy, nobody loves me."

The whole band sang with a lot of energy. "He's just a poor boy from a boy family. Spare him, his life from this monstrosity!"

"Easy come, easy go, will you let me go?"

This is where it got confusing as the entire band was randomly singing and shouting.

"Bismillah! No! we will not let you go!"

"Let him go!"

"Bismillah, we will not let you go!"

"Let him go!"

"Bismillah, we will not let you go!"

"Let me go!"

"Will not let you go!"

"Let me go!"

"Will not let you go!"

"Let me go!"

"No, no, no, no, no!"

"Oh, mamameia, mamameia."

"Mamameia let me go! Beelzebub has a devil put aside for me. For me! FOR ME!" The band went as high pitched as they could. Another guitar riff sounded and some people were head-banging, Jess and Rachel were among them.

Myron then began singing and yelling. "So you think can stop me and spit in my eye! So you think you can love me and leave me to die! Ooh baby! Yeah! Can't you listen to me baby, yeah! Just got to get out! Just got to get right out of here!" Another brief guitar sounded and the piano came back into play. The music began to tone down. "Ooooo, ooo yeah, ooo yeah. Nothing really matters! ... Anyway the wind blows." A small gong was hit and the song ended.

Everyone looked around shocked that, that was the end. The adrenaline was pumping in the room as Dumbledore stood. "That is all for tonight, sleep well!" His eyes twinkled, as the students began to head to the door.

"Wow." Was all Harry managed to say as he walked with Jess, Hermione and Rachel?

"Pretty awesome song, isn't?" Jess asked with a large grin on her face.

"I think that's an understatement. Hermione, you like that kind of music?" Harry looked at her surprised. That did not seem like the music Hermione Granger would listen to.

Hermione blushed slightly. "Well, they are the hardest music I listen to."

He smiled at her. "I'm just surprised is all. It was a really good song."

"Its definitely one of my favorites." She smiled back at him.

Rachel stopped and looked at the other three. "This is where I cut out. I had a lot of fun!" She gave Jess a quick hug. "I'll see ya later!"

"Goodbye Rachel" Harry and Hermione replied.

Jess waved as she said. "Bye Rachel!"

Harry, Jess and Hermione walked back the rest of the way in silence. Harry was content, Hermione was still emotional over the incident with Ron, and Jess' mind was racing. She couldn't think of who the handsome student she had danced with was. It was no one she recognized, so it couldn't have been a Gryffindor. Maybe it was a Hufflepuff or Ravenclaw boy in her year. There was no way it was a Slytherin. The very thought of a Slytherin, besides Zabini and his creepy motive, asking her to dance almost caused her to snort. That would be the day hell froze over. Little did she know it just had.

When they finally arrived at the Gryffindor tower, Harry was the only one who had found his voice and said the password. The portrait of the Fat Lady swung open and let them in. Harry looked to both Jess and Hermione and said. "I'll see you two tomorrow at breakfast."

Both Jess and Hermione smiled at him and then headed upstairs, both in their own little worlds. Jess went into the bathroom as soon as they arrived and washed off all her makeup. She then kicked off her shoes and changed into her pajamas. Hermione changes as well but didn't say a thing. "'Mione" Jess asked. "Are you alright?"

Hermione sat on the edge of her bed. "I'm fine Jess, don't worry about me."

"I can't help but worry."

"I told you I'm fine."

"Alright, if you insist." Jess decided to give up and climbed into her four-poster. "See ya in the morning."

"Goodnight." Hermione replied shortly and killed the light source. Within the next ten minutes she was out.

Jess on the other hand was wide awake. She lay on her side and looked over at Hermione. What Ron had done was uncalled for. Hopefully, next time he'd realize that before he had to have small birds attack him. In Jess' mind he got what he deserved. She also saw that Lavender was sleeping in her bed. That was a good sign. At least she and Ron weren't frequenting a midnight snog. Jess turned to her other side and faced away from them. A constant nagging thought of the guy dressed up as Zorro plaguing her mind. Jess closed her eyes and saw her and the guy dancing. She grunted in frustration and turned back to the other side. _Stupid guy_, she thought. _I wonder who he is. I'll have to ask Rachel about some of the guys in her house, when I see her next._ Content with her temporary solution, Jess situated herself more comfortably in her bed. She soon fell asleep. Her dreams were filled with an endless waltz between her and her mystery partner.

As soon as the last song of the night was called, Draco began to sneak out of the Great Hall. No one could find out his true identity, especially not Zabini. He was sure he was safe with Pansy, since she liked to hog all information about Draco to herself. He walked down the corridor and slunk into the dungeons. When he saw the familiar wall, Draco uttered the password and was bid into the green Slytherin common room. He then proceeded to get out of his costume and get dressed into his pajamas. Before he would go to bed, Draco would have to hide his costume, since he shared a room with Zabini. He put it in his trunk and locked it, putting a couple charms on it in case he wanted to snoop around. Once Draco felt comfortable with his precautions he fell onto his bed.

He stared up at the ceiling for what seemed like forever, thinking back on the night. Draco mentally smacked himself for what he had almost done, by kissing her. But his other thoughts mentally smacked him for not kissing her. Draco groaned and ran his hand through his now back to original colored platinum blonde hair. "I don't like her." He said to himself. "She's a mudblood." He mentally kicked himself again for calling her that. "I just didn't want Zabini taking advantage of her. Nothing wrong with that is there? Of course not! Why am I getting so defensive? For Merlin's sake she's just a muggle-born and a Gryffindor on top of that!" He was getting more frustrated with himself as each minute passed by. Draco could hear footsteps coming closer. "I don't like her." He whispered to himself as he closed his eyes. "She's just a filthy muggle-born."

The next morning Jess woke up refreshed and took a much wanted shower after a full night of dancing. She grabbed a clean set of her uniform clothes and headed to the showers. The warm water felt wonderful as it pounded down on her skin, wiping away all the grime and sweat she had developed the night before. Jess whistled a tune as she lathered her long hair with shampoo. Once she was clean and rid herself of shampoo and body wash, Jess stepped out and wrapped a fuzzy towel around her. She then dried off and changed into her uniform and brushed her hair. Once Jess was done she walked out to see Hermione was ready to go. It was so good to be back on speaking terms with her. Now all she dreaded was telling Ginny about her and Harry. When that was going to happen she had no idea. Hopefully never, but Jess knew that wasn't the case. The two girls grabbed their books and headed down to breakfast. Harry joined them soon after. About fifteen minutes later Ron came into view with Lavender and ignored the trio.

"He's never going to grow up is he?" Jess asked while looking over at him hamming it up with Lavender. "They disgust me."

"You're not the only one." Harry remarked as he did his best to block out the pair.

Hermione seemed not to notice or to care as she finished her pumpkin juice and stood. "We should go. Charms will be starting soon." After Hermione's lead Jess and Harry followed her over to professor Flit wick's classroom. They weren't surprised to see the door open and walked in. After taking their seats they noticed that Flitwick was absent. Another twenty minutes went by and everyone had piled into the room ten minutes ago, except for professor Flitwick.

Hermione opened her book and sighed. "He's running late. Professor Flitwick is usually always in here when class starts."

"He might have had a last minute errand to run. I wouldn't worry too much about him." Jess replied, trying to comfort her.

Another ten minutes passed and there was still no sign of their pint sized professor. Maybe he had slept in or he got a sub and the sub was quite slow. This was in fact not what the little professor was up to.

Professor Flitwick ran down the hall as fast as his little legs could carry him. He dodged another spell as he ran away from his assailant, professor Snape. Apparently, Snape had learned that it was Flitwick that had chosen his horrendous costume. He saw this payback fit as he had the charms teacher running for his life.

Snape cast off another spell that just went over poor Flitwick's head. He would have to think twice before making Snape the Easter Bunny again. To all the students that they passed it looked like Snape was on a homicidal rampage and Flitwick was his first victim. Everyone made sure they made a more than wide enough path for the pair as they both ran by.

Flitwick was almost to his classroom. He was so close that he could smell it. If he could just get into his classroom he'd be safe from Snape's wrath. The door was in sight and luckily for him, open. Flitwick dived for the door as if his very life depended on it. Which by the look on Snape's face it probably did, he landed inside the Charms room and shut the door as fast as he physically could. With labored breath the little professor turned towards his class. "So sorry I'm late!" He exclaimed while walking to the front of the room. "Professor Snape and I had a bit of a small disagreement." By the looks of Flitwick's disheveled appearance it had to be more than just a small disagreement. "How are the non-verbals coming?" He asked cheerfully as the students merely blinked. After the initial shock of their professor's entrance they calmed down and got to work. Luckily for Flitwick it was a Double Charms class today so they'd be able to get some work done. This display of professor Snape's behavior insured the students that he was not a force to be reckoned with, unless you wanted to be sent home to your parents in a body bag.

After Charms the Gryffindor's went to lunch. The main topic around the Great Hall was the sight of professor Snape chasing professor Flitwick down the hall's with vengeance. "I'm just glad he got to his classroom in one piece." Jess commented to Hermione and Harry.

"I wonder why Snape was chasing him in the first place. I can't think of anything Flitwick could do to enrage Snape" Hermione responded.

As if it was clear to him, Harry grinned. "I think I know what he did."

"What?" Both of the girls asked.

"I'm betting it was Flitwick that gave him the costume idea for the party last night."

"Do you really think that Snape would over react that much?" Hermione asked, not convinced.

"Hermione, he was the Easter Bunny. He was dressed as an oversized pink rabbit that hides Easter eggs. I bet that sent Snape through the roof. He must have just figured out it was Flitwick who did it."

Professor Flitwick had been wise and decided to not show up for lunch. He stayed safe in the confines of his office, while Snape brooded at the staff's table in the Great Hall. He stabbed his pasta 

salad with such force that half of it shot off his plate. This freaked out all of the staff except Dumbledore who was thoroughly enjoying his tuna melt.

After lunch they headed down to Herbology to check on their Fanged Geranium's. Harry and Jess joined by Neville put on their gloves and measured the width and height of their plants. They were coming along nicely. Professor Sprout walked over and complimented their excellent progress thus far. They then watered the plants and make sure that the plants had everything they needed until their next Herbology class. After Herbology, Harry Jess and Hermione walked back up to the castle and to their last class of the day, Transfiguration. Professor McGonagall was particularly crabby today so everyone was on their best behavior. Once class ended, Hermione insisted that they all headed to the library and do homework.

Draco's day had been rather uneventful. Now that the Halloween party was over everything was back to normal, which meant that Draco had to start acting like the snobbish Slytherin prince. He was getting tired of dealing with how stupid Crabbe and Goyle could be. What was even more annoying was how Pansy followed him around like a puppy. Not to mention that Draco also had the responsibility of looking after Zabini and making sure he kept away from Anderson. All in all, Draco had a busy schedule. Throw in classes and homework and he didn't have much time for anything else. Draco also wondered who had been the guy that had stolen Jess' heart. He knew that just about every guy that wasn't a Slytherin would kill to have the chance to have her attached to their arm. Whoever it was they were quite lucky.

He decided to go to the library and escape the overbearing stupidity of Crabbe and Goyle. Draco would be safe in their since he knew Crabbe and Goyle wouldn't be caught dead in the library. He smirked and walked into the library with his head held high. A broader smirk crossed over his face when he saw the golden trio hard at work. Feeling that he had been lacking in giving Potter grief, Draco walked over. "If it isn't Potty, and his little fangirls. What are you doing in here? I thought they didn't let idiots in here."

Harry turned his head at the familiar drawl. "And I thought they didn't let animals in the library." He replied in an even tone.

Draco narrowed his eyes. "Watch it Potter, if the professor's catch you cheating off of Granger's homework you'll be kicked off the Quidditch team faster than you can say goodbye to the house cup."

Hermione rolled her eyes. "What do you want, Malfoy?"

"Who said I wanted anything from you, mudblood?" Draco sneered as he got Hermione to shut up.

"I suggest you leave ferret, before you get kicked out." Jess replied boldly.

Draco scoffed and left. He went over to one of the table's in the back of the library and worked on his Divination and History of Magic essays.

After a while Jess, Harry and reluctantly Hermione called it quits and went to dinner. Ginny came over and talked to them about how awesome the Halloween party was. About an hour later Jess and Hermione excused themselves to go and finished up their Arithmancy assignment together. When they got up to their room the coast was clear and there were no signs of their other roommates. Hermione sat down at her desk and asked. "Jess, when do you think you're going to tell Ginny about you and Harry?"

Jess emitted a soft sigh as she sat down on her bed. "I'm not sure. I don't want the news spreading like wild fire. Harry doesn't know what we should do either. I haven't seen Ginny really mad so I don't know how she will react."

"There's only one way to find out."

"I know that, but I don't need another one of my close friends mad at me."

"You should tell her soon though."

"No duh, Hermione."

"No need to get defensive."

"I'll tell her soon okay?"

"Alright." Hermione opened her Arithmancy book. "We're almost done with our assignment so lets finish it."

"Fair enough." They finished the Arithmancy paper and then talked more about other things like the rising threat of Voldemort and how they could help Harry. They decided to call it quits around eleven and go to sleep.

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Well there we have chapter thirty-six! Again I apologize for the delay. I'm really going to try and make sure it doesn't take this long again, but as I said before I am somewhat busy now. So if you guys just bear with me here I promise that I will not abandon this story. Please review and tell me what you thinK!


	37. Snowtime fun

Well this came much sooner than I thought it would. I thought I would wait until the end of the week but I guess that didn't happen. So, hopefully you will all be pleased to see that there is a new chapter! And, theres some fluff! I'm afraid after this chapter is the next boring blah meeting of Dumbledore and Harry. Like I told you all I wrote two of them and haven't written one since, which I might do a half a chapter on the horcruxes, but thats about it. So you will just have to suffere through one more with me! Again I appreciate all of your feedback! Please keep it up! Without further delay, I do not own Harry Potter.

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Friday passed by quickly. In potions class Ron had gotten a detention for not paying a lot of attention to his potion and instead focusing on Lavender Brown. On Saturday morning Jess woke up and looked out the window to discover it was lightly snowing. It was the first snow of the season, it being November third. She quickly got out of bed and walked over to Hermione's bed. "Hermione?" Jess asked while softly shaking her.

Hermione rolled over and faced her. "Yes, Jess?"

"Its snowing! Come on get up and lets go outside!"

She sat up in her bed and looked out the window. "Just let me get dressed." They both got dressed and walked down to the common room.

Jess stopped at the foot of the stairs to the girl's dormitory. "Hold on a second."

She looked over at Jess. "What are you doing?"

"You'll see." Jess headed up the stairs of the boy's dormitory's and went to Harry's room. She walked in and noticed the raven haired boy was still in bed. Jess crept over and tapped his arm. "Harry" she whispered.

He continued to sleep on as did the other boys in the room, Ron, Neville, Dean and Seamus. Jess rolled her eyes and nudged him harder. "Harry?"

Harry rolled over but gave no other sign of response. Jess grabbed his blankets and yanked them off. He was wearing his grey t-shirt and blue plaid pajama pants. Harry opened his eyes and noticed someone standing above him. He grabbed for his glasses on his nightstand and put them on. "Jess?" He asked a little confused as to why she was there.

"Hey sleepy-head." She smiled down at him.

"What are you doing here this early in the morning?"

"Its snowing outside. Let's go before it melts."

"Its snowing already?" Harry looked over at the window and sure enough it was snowing.

"Are you going to come or not?" Jess asked him.

"I'm coming. I need to get dressed though."

"I'll leave you to that. Hermione and I will be downstairs in the Great Hall." She placed a light kiss on his cheek and left. Harry got up and got dressed. Once he was dressed he headed down to the Great Hall as well.

"I can't believe its snowing already!" Jess exclaimed as she grabbed her fork.

"It usually doesn't start snowing this early. I had to grab something warmer to wear." Hermione replied after her.

"Pretty soon we'll have to start wearing scarves and gloves. Not that I ever wear gloves."

"Jess, you really should."

"I should do a lot of things but I don't. I haven't got frost bite yet."

"But you might."

"I'll just put my hands in my pockets, problem solved."

"I could knit some for you if you like?"

"No, that's okay 'Mione. You don't have to. Thanks for the offer though!" She smiled at the bushy haired girl. Hermione shook her head and dropped it. "Harry?" Jess asked while looking over at him.

"Huh?" Harry looked up groggily.

"Just making sure you're awake."

"Oh." He smiled, "Just barely."

"I'm sure you'll wake up once we get outside."

"Probably, if not you'll keep me awake."

Jess couldn't help but laugh. "Oh you know I will."

Harry smiled at her and went back to his breakfast. They ate in silence for a while until Jess spoke again.

"I'm glad they don't make us wear uniforms all the time. I think its nice that we don't have to on the weekends or after classes, though everyone usually keeps them on unless they're doing something that would mess up their uniforms."

"That doesn't stop some people from ruining them while playing Exploding Snap." Hermione commented while looking over at her.

"True, but my point is, I'm glad I can wear my jeans on the weekend. I'm not the biggest fan of skirts you know." Jess was wearing a pair of jeans and her Gryffindor black zip-up hoodie. It was zipped up half-way so you could see the canary yellow shirt she was wearing underneath. Hermione was dressed in a lavender shirt with a light blue jean jacket over it and dark blue jeans. Harry looked the most casual in jeans, a white t-shirt and a blue zip up hoodie that wasn't zipped up at all.

Once they were finished eating the trio walked outside to the grounds that was covered with a light coat of glittery, white, powdery snow. There wasn't enough snow to do much stuff in, but that didn't matter to them as they walked around. Jess led the group as she frolicked in the snow. She found a bench and dusted off the snow before sitting down. Harry and Hermione joined her on the bench. "If this keeps up we might be able to make snow angels before lunch." Jess commented, happy as a clam.

"I'd like to make a snowman, myself." Hermione smiled, "Its been ages since I have!"

"Well we will have to if we get enough snow. You need to loosen up a bit 'Mione."

"Loosen up? Why? I'm perfectly fine just how I am."

"Sure you are. You've been cooped up in the library far too much lately. Isn't that right Harry?"

"Hey don't drag me into this!" He mock shouted and grinned. "But Jess is right. You need some more fun in your life."

"I'll have you know I have loads of fun." Hermione said defensively. Harry and Jess both laughed as Hermione looked at them sternly.

"Prove it then," Jess suggested.

"Fine I will." Hermione stood up and gathered up a small pile of snow. She then threw it at them.

"Hey now!" Jess fended off the snow as she stood. "This means war."

"We can't have much of a snow fight until there is more snow."

"We'll wait then." Jess sat back down. "Right here."

Hermione rolled her eyes and sat down next to Jess. "If you say so."

Meanwhile the Great Hall was finally filling up with people. The students were talking about everything possibly imaginable, from the grueling homework they had, to the wintry wonderland outside, to who their next targets would be. This last one was coming from the Slytherin table, from a particular three people, two bumbling idiots and the Slytherin Prince.

Draco didn't really care who they tortured today as long as they were outside. Crabbe and Goyle didn't care either, as long as they got to use some muscle. They decided that they would decide when they got outside. Finishing up breakfast the three went outside quickly as Pansy was distracted and Draco could make a break for it and not have to deal with her.

At about a quarter after eleven there was efficient enough snow to do something besides walk around in it. When Hermione wasn't looking Jess had Harry grab a handful of snow. Hermione being a sucker for talking about class was in an in-depth conversation with Jess about Anamagi. Harry snuck around on Jess' cue and put a handful of snow in Hermione's face.

She almost fell off the bench as she fended Harry off. "Harry, stop it! Stop it!" Hermione was a bit ruffled but laughed anyways. Harry retreated to the other side of Jess quickly.

"See now that wasn't so bad was it?" Jess asked with a grin firmly planted on her face. Hermione picked up some snow and threw it at her.

The trio got up and chased each other around with handfuls of snow. As they were doing this, Draco and his cronies came out. Draco surveyed the area and saw on top of a hill not that far away some vulnerable second year Ravenclaws. He pointed them out to Crabbe and Goyle. Grins broke out on their faces as they walked over. Before they ascended the hill Draco stopped to make a couple small snowballs and instructed Crabbe and Goyle to follow suit. He then began the climb up the hill. Halfway up Draco pulled out his wand and pointed it at the snow balls. "Engorgio." The snowballs grew to twice their size as they reached the top of the hill and pummeled the Ravenclaws.

Hermione held up her hands as Harry and Jess were ready to throw more snow at her. "Alright, I give up!" Even though she had just endured a lot of snow thrown at her, she still had a smile on her face. Harry dropped the snow in his hand while Jess kept a hold on the snow in her hand. "Jess I said I give up."

"Oh alright." Jess dropped the snow reluctantly. "But that was so much fun!" They all laughed as she looked over to one of the small hills and saw the Slytherin's assault. "When will they grow up?"

"Who?" Harry asked while looking off.

"Malfoy and dweedle dum and dweedle dee."

"Them?" He thought for a moment before answering. "Never."

"I say we stop them." Jess announced as she began walking over there. Hermione and Harry agreed and followed her over. Jess ran up the hill. "Would it hurt to grow up?!" She looked at the three of them as they halted fire momentarily. The second year Ravenclaws, being from the house that recognizes intelligence as one of its attributes took this chance and ran for it.

Draco sneered at her. "Look what you're done. They got away because of you."

"Serves you right you pompous prick!" Jess took this opportunity to give him a once over. Draco's parents must have not allowed jeans because even on the weekend Draco was dressed in black dress pants. He was wearing to Jess' surprise an olive green polo sweater. Green must have been the only color that Draco allowed in his wardrobe besides black, white because of dress shirts, and of course silver. Jess hated to admit it but he looked pretty sharp in his outfit.

Harry and Hermione had finally caught up with her as Draco went to speak. "What did I say about you calling me that, mudblood?" He spat out, although the word mudblood was forced and didn't slide off his tongue as it once use to.

"Like I'm ever going to listen to you. Now I suggest you pick on someone your own size for once. I believe Hagrid knows the whereabouts of some weasels." She smirked as Draco scowled at her.

Draco cocked back his arm and threw the last snowball he had at her face. Jess barely dodged it in time and lost her balance. She reached out for the closest thing, which happened to be Draco's sleeve as she continued to fall to the ground, dragging Draco down with her. But little had she noticed that he was standing towards the edge of the hill. Jess screamed as her and Draco began to tumble down the snowy hill together.

"JESS!" Harry yelled and ran down after her and Draco. Hermione was hot on his heels. Crabbe and Goyle on the other hand slowly made their descent down the hill.

The pair tumbled down the hill until they landed at the bottom with a thud. Jess had landed on her back and found she was looking up into a pair of crystal blue eyes. Draco looked back into her emerald green eyes. This was beyond awkward for all parties involved. Draco found himself on all fours. His knees were on either side of her body and his hands were pinning down her arms. Draco froze, forgetting entirely how to move.

Harry was the first to reach the bottom of the hill. He shoved Draco off while saying angrily. "Shove off Malfoy!"

Draco brushed himself off and glared at Harry as he helped Jess up. He pulled out his wand and pointed it at him while shouting. "Stupefy!" He smirked as Harry dropped to the ground like a sack of potatoes and stalked off proudly with Crabbe and Goyle.

"Harry!" Both Jess and Hermione shouted as he dropped to the ground.

Hermione casted a levitating charm and Harry floated five feet above the ground. "Lets bring him back to his room. He should wake up in a couple hours." She began walking and directed Harry's unconscious body through the halls and back to the Gryffindor tower. Jess followed close behind her, worried about her boyfriend. When they got there Hermione directed Harry's body up the stairs of the boy's dormitories. Jess opened the door so Hermione wouldn't accidentally drop Harry. Once inside Hermione had Harry gently float down on his bed.

Jess stood at the door. "What should we do?"

Hermione turned her gaze from Harry to Jess. "There isn't much we can do. We could sit here and wait until he wakes up."

"Right, I'll go get some of our homework and we can do that while waiting." Hess left the room and went over to the girl's dormitories. She grabbed some textbooks, parchment and ink and headed back over.

Meanwhile, Draco was in the Slytherin common room. He was praised for stunning Wonder-Boy. Draco felt justified and smirked proudly for knowing knocking Potter off his high horse. Though he 

did feel happy about that, this covered up what else Draco was feeling. Mainly the way he froze when he landed on Anderson. It was an accident yet at the same time it made Draco feel light-headed. One thing that bothered him was why Potter had wrenched him off of her. Potter had acted quite protective of the muggle-born. Was this how he always acted when it came to Anderson and Granger? Or was this just specialized for Anderson and if so, why? The wheels began to turn in Draco's mind. At the Halloween party, when Draco had made a fool of himself, she had said something to him. She told him that she was with someone else. Might that someone else be Potter? _No_, Draco thought, _she wouldn't settle for that goody two-shoes, or would she?... Why do I care this is none of my business,_ he scoffed and dropped the subject for now.

Around dinner time Harry woke up and Jess and Hermione went down to dinner with him. Out of the corner of her eyes, Jess saw Draco sit down at the Slytherin table. She sent a nasty glare his way before eating.

The rest of the weekend went by very quickly. There were no more run-ins between the two groups and everything was rather peaceful. Monday's classes flew by as well until the last class of the day which was Defense Against the Dark Arts.

Professor Slughorn came into the classroom with a grin on his face. "Good afternoon class. I thought today we could cover an exciting topic. Today we will be discussing how to defend yourselves against…" He picked up a piece of chalk and began to write on the board, when he finished the word _dragon_ was on the board. This peaked everyone's interest and you could see some people straighten up in their chairs. "Now there are ten types of dragons known in our world. Can anyone name one of them for me?" Slughorn stood at the ready at his chalkboard. Naturally, Hermione's hand was the first one up. "Yes, Miss Granger?"

"One of the ten breeds is the Norwegian Ridgeback, which is one of the rarer breeds."

This is where Slughorn cut her off. "Yes, thank you Miss Granger. So, the Norwegian Ridgeback which comes from Norway. Who has another one?" Jess was the next one to raise her hand. "Yes, Miss Anderson?"

"The Common Welsh Green."

"Ah, yes. Very good." He said while writing the name on the board. Ron raised his hand. "Yes, Mr. Weasley?"

"The Hungarian Horntail."

"Very good! Yes, Mr. Potter?"

Harry raised his hand. "The Chinese Fireball."

"Excellent! Six more!"

Seamus Finnegan rose his hand and spoke. "The Swedish Short-Snout."

After that one most people didn't know the rest. Slughorn took the liberty of writing them on the board. They were the Antipodean Opaleye, The Hebridean Black, the Peruvian Vipertooth, the Romanian Longhorn and the Ukrainian Ironbelly. "Now some basic facts, first off I'm assuming none of you have seen a dragon in person."

Everyone in the class shook their heads. They had all seen a dragon in person. The first task of the Tri-Wizard Tournament held in their fourth year had to do with dragons. Though they had all been too young to put their names in the Goblet of Fire for chance at being the Hogwarts representative, which Cedric Diggory's name was drawn, someone named Barty Crouch Jr., under disguise of ex-Auror Mad-Eye Moody, placed Harry's name in the Goblet and it was chosen. Hermione raised her hand and explained this to professor Slughorn, which left the professor dumbstruck. He looked at Harry in amazement.

"Did you really up against a dragon?" He asked in disbelief.

Harry answered him calmly. "Yes professor, I did."

"And what kind was it?"

"A Hungarian Horntail, sir."

Slughorn backed up into his desk. "Great Merlin! The Hungarian Horntail is known to be the most aggressive dragon there is! How did you do it by yourself?!"

Harry felt very uncomfortable by the way Slughorn was ogling him. "I used my broom sir, and got the golden egg as quickly as I could."

"You mean you didn't try to use any spells against it?"

"No, professor. The point of the task was to retrieve the golden egg."

"Oh I see…" Slughorn paused for a moment to recollect his thoughts. "Dragons are very fierce and aggressive beasts. They are categorized as uncontrollable. If you value your life you would do best to avoid them at all costs. There are some wizards who are in the field of Dragonry but they have many people with them. If you someone have the misfortune of coming across a dragon the best possible thing would be to have many competent wizards and witches with you. I would say no less than a group of five people should take on a dragon, if they have to. It also depends on the breed. For instance, the Common Welsh Green is known to be the least aggressive type of dragon, whereas the Hungarian Horntail is known to be the most aggressive breed. The more dangerous the breed the more wizards and witched are needed. Now what type of spell would you use on a dragon? Stunning spells such as Stupefy and Petrificus Totalus seem to work best. But it takes multiples of these spells before it in anyway affects the dragon. This is why so many people are needed when handling a dragon." The bell rang and the students began to pack up their stuff. "Alright, we'll finish this on Wednesday. I would like you to read the section on dragons and summarize if for me on twelve-inch parchment. That is all!"

Everyone walked out of the room. Harry caught up to Jess and Hermione in the hall. "I have another meeting tonight with Dumbledore." He said just so the two girls could hear him.

"When?" Jess asked while looking at him.

"Right after dinner. I have to go though. I scheduled Quidditch practice from now until dinner."

Jess grabbed his arm. "Harry?"

"Yeah?"

"I was thinking of telling Ginny tonight."

Harry smiled at her. "I wish I could be there. God luck."

"Thanks. Good luck on your meeting with Dumbledore."

"Thanks. See you both at dinner." Harry then left to go get his Firebolt and Quidditch uniform.

Jess and Hermione went back up to the Gryffindor common room to work on their Charms homework. "Do you want me to be there when you tell her?" Hermione asked as they worked.

"That would be great 'Mione. I think I need all the support I can get." Jess smiled weakly as she skimmed through their reading material.

At dinner Harry and Ginny joined both Jess and Hermione who were discussing one of their essays they had to write. Once Harry was done eating he looked to the table at the front of the Great Hall where the professors sat. Dumbledore was already gone, which signaled to Harry that he could follow suit. "Wish me luck." Harry whispered to Jess and Hermione when Ginny was distracted.

Jess smiled up at him and whispered back. "I'm sure everything will be fine. I'm the one that needs luck."

"I wish you the best of luck with Ginny. I better go." Harry stood up straight and left the girls. He walked the familiar path to Dumbledore's office. When he reached the door he knocked and Dumbledore told him to enter.

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Well I hope this made everyone happy! There was a little moment there between Jess and Draco. :D You have to love it, come on I know all of you do! I'm not quite sure when the next chapter will be up. It all depends on if I have time or if I get any ideas to further the script of this story. Hopefully I will succeed in both and then you will be able to enjoy! Also, I would like to remind everyone who does read to PLEASE REVIEW! I know its a pain in the butt sometimes but it really does help. It gives that extra kick in the rear to make me update sooner. So please do review and tell me what you think. Thanks for sticking with me this far! Until next chapter, signing out.


	38. Tom Marvolo Riddle

Alright everyone I am back! I know this is much earlier than I thought it would be but I have suddenly had an increase of free time. That being said I have decided to give you this chapter. I would have put it up hours ago but I had to go to work and I ran out of time. But here it is! Now, I did warn everyone this was the chapter where the Dumbledore meeting would be held. The talk between Jess and Ginny is semi explored but not all that much. If I think the next chapter is what I think it is, it will make up for the lameness of this one. It will be exciting :D I shall not further delay, I do not own Harry Potter.

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"Good evening Harry. Please do sit down." Dumbledore's eyes gave their familiar warm twinkle.

Harry sat in the chair and looked ahead to Dumbledore, as he pulled out another small bottle with silver memories floating around in it. He uncorked the bottle and put it in the penseive. "I do believe you remember where we left off, Harry. The handsome muggle and Voldemort's father, Tom Riddle had left his pregnant witch wife, Merope, and returned to his home. Merope was left in London expecting a baby that would grow up to become Lord Voldemort."

"Sir, how do you know that was in London?"

Dumbledore looked at him. "Caractacus Burke, who at his store around the time of Christmas, a young witch came in. She had with her a locket she was willing to sell for she was dressed in rags. Caractacus Burke had given her only ten Galleons for it, though he knew it was worth much more." The figured of this memory had popped up in the penseive and the instance was played out. Dumbledore gave it a vigorous stir.

"He gave her ten Galleons?" Harry looked at him. That was nothing compared to the locket's worth.

"He was not generous in any regards. So, we now know that at the end of her pregnancy, Merope was struggling alone in London trying to scrape together some gold, and sold her only valuable item, the locket that was one of Marvolo's family heirlooms."

"That doesn't make sense, sir. She's a witch, she could use magic! Couldn't she have provided for herself with magic?" Harry asked sounding hot and bothered.

"Yes, I would think so. But the way she had acted when Tom Riddle left her tends me to believe that she stopped using magic. It might have been because of the grief she felt when he left that rendered her useless when it comes to magic. She didn't even raise her wand to save her life."

"She wouldn't stay alive for her son?" This Harry didn't understand. He knew what it was like to live without parents.

Dumbledore looked at Harry with a raised eyebrow. "Possibly are you feeling sorry for Lord Voldemort?"

"No" Harry responded quickly. "She had a choice though, unlike my mother."

Dumbledore smiled gently at him. "Your mother had a choice as well. Merope chose death because she was weakened by suffering the loss of her husband. She did not have the courage that your mother did. And now let us begin, if you would stand." Dumbledore rose from his seat.

Harry stood as well and looked at the Headmaster. "Sir, where are we going?"

"This time we are going into my memory. After you Harry…"

Harry dipped his head into the swirling liquid of the penseive and began tumbling into it once more. When he landed he saw two Dumbledore's. One was the one he had always known, the other a much younger Dumbledore whose long hair and beard were auburn. The younger Dumbledore walked down the streets and received many odd looks and stares, since he was wearing a bright plum velvet suit.

Harry did all he could to refrain from laughing. "That's a nice suit sir."

Dumbledore chuckled as they followed the younger Dumbledore at a distance. They passed through a large iron gate that loomed around a grim, grey, square building. The younger Dumbledore climbed the steps and knocked. The door was opened by a girl in an apron. He stated he had an appointment with a Mrs. Cole and the girl went in to fetch her. The young woman came back and Mrs. Cole was in tow. Then she and the younger Dumbledore went in her office to talk about the night that Tom Riddle had arrived in the Orphanage.

Mrs. Cole had taken the liberty to pull out two glasses and a bottle of gin. Her first glass she downed quickly and she was halfway done with her second one before she spoke. "I remember it clear as anything, because I'd just started here myself. New Year's Eve and bitter cold, snowing, you know. Nasty night. And this girl, not much older than I was myself at the time, came staggering up the front steps. Well, she wasn't the first. We took her in, and she had the baby within the hour. And she was dead in another hour."

Dumbledore pondered for a moment before speaking. "Did she say anything before she died? Anything about the boy's father, for instance?"

"Now as it happens she did." Mrs. Cole looked quite happy with her gin in one hand as she relayed her story. "I remember she said to me, 'I hope he looked like his papa,' and I won't lie, she was right to hope it, because she was no beauty- and then she told me he was to be named Tom, for his father, and Marvolo, for her father- yes, I know, funny name isn't it? We wondered whether she came from a circus- and she said the boy's surname was to be Riddle. And she died soon after that without another word."

She paused here to take a drink of her gin before continuing. "Well, we named him just as she'd said, it seemed so important to the poor girl, but on Tom nor Marvolo nor any kind of Riddle ever came looking for him, nor any family at all, so he stayed in the orphanage and he's been here ever since."

They then began to discuss about why Dumbledore had come in the first place. He had told her that Tom had, had his name down on the list to go to Hogwarts ever since he was born. This baffled Mrs. Cole but she didn't object too much. Mrs. Cole was just happy to have him leaving.

"Tom scares all of the children."

"How do you mean? Does he bully the other children?" Dumbledore asked her.

"Some awfully weird things have happened since we got Tom. I think he's just bullying them, but we can never catch him actually doing it. For instance Billy Stubb's rabbit ended up hung from the rafters though Tom denied it, I don't know how he could have."

"I don't either."

"All I know is that one day he had an argument with Billy." She paused here to empty her current glad of gin and pour herself another. "We take the kids out once a year to the countryside or the seaside. We took the children to the seaside and Amy Benson and Dennis Bishop were never the same afterwards. All they told us is they went into a cave with Tom. He said they just went exploring, but I know something happened in there. There's also been a lot of other funny things going on around here. And I don't think he'll be missed when he's gone."

Dumbledore found his voice again. "You understand that he will be coming back for the summer at least?"

Mrs. Cole stood, "That's better than having him here all the time. Would you like to see him?"

"Very much so." Dumbledore rose and followed her down the stairs. Harry and the older Dumbledore followed the pair. Harry noticed some of the orphans and that they all wore a gray tunic looking cloth. They looked relatively healthy, but Harry would never have wanted to grow up here.

The room was small and practically empty, containing a small bed, a chair and a wardrobe. A boy was sitting on the bed with a book. Tom was the exact replica of his handsome muggle father. He looked quite tall for the age of eleven. When Tom saw how flamboyantly dressed Dumbledore was his eyes narrowed in suspicion.

Dumbledore was the one to break the silence. "How do you do, Tom?" He held his hand out for a shake while walking over. Tom looked at it for a moment before deciding it was alright and shook it. Dumbledore then brought over the chair and sat down in it. "I am professor Dumbledore."

"Professor? You're a doctor aren't you? She snuck you in to have a look at me didn't she?" Tom answered displeased with the situation. He pointed at the door signaling by she, he meant Mrs. Cole.

"Oh, no of course not." Dumbledore replied while smiling.

"I don't believe you. You better tell me the truth!" His last sentence was said with such authority it was a bit shocking. It was a command that sounded like he had said it many times before. He looked at Dumbledore warily but all the professor did was smile. "Who are you" the boy repeated.

"I already told you. My name is professor Dumbledore, I work at a school called Hogwarts. I have come to tell you about your new school if you want to come."

This seemed to push the boy's buttons all the more. He stood from the bed and got as far away from Dumbledore as he could all while being enraged. "You're from the asylum aren't you? Well I'm not going! I didn't do anything to Amy Benson of Dennis Bishop. You can ask them if you want!"

Dumbledore remained calm and reassured him that he was not from the asylum. "If you sit back down I will tell you about Hogwarts. If you don't want to come, no one is going to force you." After another hissy fit from Tom they got somewhere with the conversation. "It is a school of magic."

This had shut up Riddle who was frozen. "Magic?" He asked in a whisper. This seemed to trigger a wave of excitement in the boy. "So I can do magic?"

"What can you do?"

"All sorts" he replied. "I can make things move without touching them. I can make animals do what I want them to do, without training them. I can make bad things happen to people who annoy me. I can make them hurt if I want to."

His legs were shaking as he stumbled over to the bed and stared at his hand. His head was bowed. "I always knew I was special. Always, I knew there was something."

Dumbledore went on to tell him he was a wizard. Riddle was happier than he had ever been in his entire life. The look on his face made him handsome features look rough and unnatural.

"Are you a wizard?' He asked Dumbledore out of the blue.

"Yes I am."

"Prove it." He asked in the same commanding tone he had, had earlier.

"I take it you are accepting your place at Hogwarts." Dumbledore's eyebrows were raised.

"Of course I am!"

"You will then address me as professor or sir."

His face hardened for a brief moment before he said in a polite voice. "I'm sorry sir, can you show me?"

Harry though Dumbledore would refuse but was proved wrong when Dumbledore took out his wand. He pointed it at wardrobe and flicked his wand. The wardrobe caught on fire and Riddle jumped to his feet. Riddle rounded on Dumbledore, but the wardrobe was left untouched and just as it had been before.

"Where can I get one of those?" The boy asked at once.

"You will get one when the time is right." Something rattled in the wardrobe. Riddle responded to this by looking frightened. "Open the door" said Dumbledore.

The boy hesitated but did as he was told. A small cardboard box was shaking.

"Take it out" Dumbledore said.

Tom looked panicked as he took down the box.

"Is there anything in there that you should not have?"

"Yes… I suppose so sir."

"Open it."

Riddle took off the lid and dumped the contents on his bed, not sparing them a glance. There was a yo-yo, a silver thimble and a mouth organ. The items lay motionless.

"You will return all of this of their owners and apologize. I will know if you don't. Also, thieving is not allowed at Hogwarts." Dumbledore replied while placing his wand back in his pocket. He continued to tell Tom about Hogwarts as well as Diagon Alley, where he would be getting all of his spellbooks and his wand, among other things. Dumbledore handed him an envelope that had inside it the list of things he needed.

"I can speak to snakes. I found out when we've been to the country on trips. They find me, they whisper to me. Is that normal for a wizard?" Harry could tell that Tom left this as an after note to try and impress Dumbledore.

Dumbledore looked over at Tom and casually said. "It is unusual but not unheard of." The pair stood for a moment staring at each other. Dumbledore said his farewell. "Good-bye Tom. I shall see you at Hogwarts."

"I think that will do." The older Dumbledore said. Seconds later, Harry and Dumbledore were back in Dumbledore's office.

Harry sat down while pondering all he had just saw. "He believed it a lot quicker than I did. When you told him he was a wizard I mean. When Hagrid told me I didn't believe him at first."

"Riddle was ready to believe he was 'special'" Dumbledore replied.

"Did you know then that…" Harry asked not knowing how to phrase it.

"Did I know that I had just met the most dangerous Dark Lord of all time? No, I had no idea that he was to grow up to be what he is. However, I was certainly intrigued by him. I returned to Hogwarts intending to keep an eye upon him, something I should have done in any case, given that he was alone and friendless, but which, already I felt I ought to do for others' sake as much as his." The headmaster looked at Harry before continuing.

"His powers, as you heard were surprisingly well- developed for such a young wizard and- most interestingly and ominously of all- he had already discover that he had some measure of control over them, and began to use them consciously. And as you saw, they were not the random experiments typical of young wizards'. He was already using magic against other people, to frighten, to punish, to control. The little stories of the strangled rabbit and the young boy and girl he lured into a cave were most suggestive… 'I can make them hurt if I want to'…"

"And he was a Parselmouth" interjected Harry.

"Yes, indeed, a rare ability and one supposedly connected with the Dark Arts, although as we know, there are Parselmouths among the great and the good too. In fact his ability to speak to serpents did not make me nearly as uneasy as his obvious instincts for cruelty, secrecy and domination."

"Time is making fools of us again." Dumbledore said while indicating the dark sky beyond the windows. "But before we part, I want to draw your attention to certain features of the scene we just witnessed; for they have a great bearing on the matters we shall be discussing in future meetings. Firstly, I hope you noticed Riddle's reaction when I mentioned that another shared his first name Tom?"

Harry nodded. He remembered that when Dumbledore had mentioned it, the boy had a twitch as if trying to get rid of the thought.

"There he showed his contempt for anything that tied him to other people, anything that made him ordinary. Even then, he wished to be different, separate, notorious. He shed his name, as you know, within a few short years of that conversation and created the mask of 'Lord Voldemort' behind which he has been hidden for so long. I trust that you also noticed that Tom Riddle was already highly self-sufficient, secretive, and apparently, friendless? He did not want help or companionship oh his trip to Diagon Alley. He preferred to operate alone. The adult Voldemort is the same. You will hear many of his Death Eaters claiming that they are in his confidence, that they alone are close to him, even understand him. They are deluded. Lord Voldemort has never had a friend, not do I believe that he has ever wanted one. And lastly- I hope you are not too sleepy to pay attention to this, Harry- the young Tom Riddle liked to collect trophies. You saw the box of stolen articles he had hidden in his room. These were taken from victims of his bullying behavior, souvenirs, if you will, or particularly unpleasant bits of magic. Bear in mind this magpie-like tendency, for this particularly will be important later. And now, it really is time for bed."

Harry got to his feet. As he walked across the room, his eyes fell upon the little table on which Marvolo Gaunt's ring had rested last time, but the ring was no longer there.

"Yes, Harry?" Dumbledore asked because Harry had stopped walking.

"The ring's gone." Said Harry while looking around. "But I thought you might have the mouth organ or something."

Dumbledore beamed at him, peering over the top of his half-moon spectacles. "Very astute, Harry, but the mouth organ was only ever a mouth organ." And on that enigmatic note he waved to Harry, who understood him to be dismissed.

Harry nodded and slowly made his descent down the winding staircase. He passed the gargoyle that guarded the way into Dumbledore's office and headed up to the Gryffindor tower. His head was swimming with thoughts of what had just happened. He tried to make sense of it all but fell short. Harry was so wrapped up in his thoughts he almost walked past his destination. He halted and turned around to see the stairs leading up to the portrait of the Fat Lady. Shaking his head of his heavy thoughts, Harry jogged up the stairs and said the password. The portrait swung open and bade him to go in. It took Harry three steps into the common room before he noticed it was completely empty, save one person. It was this person that jarred Harry from any more thoughts of Voldemort, and concentrated only on her.

Jess was hunched over in one of the plush red chairs. Her elbows sat on her knees as she leaned forward. Jess' face was hidden behind a wall of lush brown hair, as well as her hands. This didn't look good.

Harry regained feeling in his legs and sprinted over to her. He pulled up a chair and sat in front of her while placing a hand on the available space on her knee. "Jess?" He asked just above a whisper.

Jess picked up her head from her hands and looked at Harry. "When did you get back from your meeting?"

"Just now. Are you alright?" Worry was evident on his face.

"Yeah, I'm alright. I'm just a bit tired from waiting up."

"Oh." Only then did he let out a sigh of relief. "How did it go with Ginny?"

"It went alright. She's mad at me of course, but things could have gone much worse."

"I'm sorry Jess. I didn't want to tear you and Ginny apart."

"Its alright Harry, everything will be fine. She won't stay upset long. She'll probably be talking to me again by the end of the week."

"Still, I wish that didn't have to happen at all. I should have been here with you." He felt guilty having left her to tell Ginny all by herself.

"Harry, its over with now. You can't change what happened and I assure you I feel fine." She offered him a small smile. "Okay?"

Harry reluctantly gave in. "Alright. How long have you been waiting here for me?'

Jess looked up at the clock in the room that read a quarter past eleven. "Only about an hour. How did the meeting go?"

"It went quite well, though it was confusing, probably more so than our first meeting. We witnessed another memory. One of Dumbledore's memories."

Jess looked at him with interest. "One of Dumbledore's memories?" What was it about?"

"The day that Dumbledore went to go gibe Voldemort his Hogwarts letter in the orphanage."

"Voldemort grew up in an orphanage?" She looked at him with widened eyes.

"His mother died not long after giving birth" he explained.

"Oh. What was he like?"

"Demanding and very skeptical of Dumbledore and anything he had to say. He was convinced Dumbledore was from the local asylum and was coming to cart him away."

"Probably would have been better for everyone if he had been." She commented truthfully.

Harry bit back a laugh. "You're probably right."

Jess smiled in response. "Is there anything else you need to tell me before I go to bed?'

"No, the rest can wait until tomorrow. I have to re-tell all of this to Hermione tomorrow anyways."

Jess nodded and stood up from her chair. "Then I will hear the rest tomorrow." She smiled and kissed Harry softly on the lips.

Harry grinned widely and watched her walk up the stairs to the girl's dormitory. "Night, Jess." Once she was gone Harry went up to the boy's dormitory and into his room. He slipped into a gray t-shirt and blue pajama bottoms before getting into bed. Almost immediately he fell asleep.

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Alright folks! Chapter 38 is up! I don't know when the next chapter will be up. Hopefully sometime in this coming week, but you never know it might be sooner. That being said I would ask of all of you to review this chapter. So that being said, please read and review! Until next chapter!


	39. Mishaps in Transfiguration

Alright everyone this is much sooner than I thought! This is a shorter chapter but at least it is coming with some quickness. All I have to say is that this is the turning point, everything starts to pick up from here for the most part. There will be more Draco, lots I think. And there will be more hints to Jess and Draco realizing some things. I know some of you are impatient, but I must remind you if you think I'm taking a long time think of how long JK Rowling took with Ron and Hermione, and then this won't seem as bad. The more time that elaspes the more excitement that will be built up for when that moment comes. This is my explianation as to why I'm being so 'slow' and I'm sticking to it. Anyways, hopefully this chapter leaves everyone guessing and picks up the excitement. I do not own Harry Potter, but I do own the spell, since I created it.

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In the morning Jess woke up and got ready for her first class of the day, double Transfiguration. Little did she know that it would be the start of a very interesting and very long day. She waited for Hermione who was currently battling the bush mass that was her hair. After another five minutes Hermione threw in the towel and decided to just put it up in a ponytail. She walked over to Jess who was waiting for her at the door. "Sorry about the wait." She said apologetically.

"Its not a problem 'Mione. I'm impress you put up such a good fight." Jess responded with a smile.

Hermione smiled as well. "We should head down to the Great Hall. I've been curious to know what happened with Harry's meeting with Dumbledore."

"It sounded pretty interesting from what he's told me so far."

"He already told you?"

"Just some of the details, don't worry 'Mione. Harry knows that he's going to have to tell both of us everything that happened."

"Good because it'll be easier to figure out what the meaning behind it is if we all know what happened." They both left the room and headed down to the Great Hall. When they arrived they noticed Harry sitting by himself. Both girls quickly made their way over and sat with him.

"I take it Ginny's giving you the cold shoulder." Jess asked while sitting down.

Harry nodded. "I was expecting it though. She'll come around eon enough." He looked over at Ginny who was obviously avoiding him.

"I just hope she doesn't tell anyone." Jess sighed softly while grabbing her glass of pumpkin juice.

"I don't think she'll tell anyone about us."

"I sure hope so." An awkward silence ensued before Hermione had the impulse to break it.

"Harry, what happened at your meeting with Dumbledore?" She whispered while leaning in.

Harry and Jess leaned in as well. He began from the beginning and all the way through the memory, as well as the talk afterwards. Hermione sat back in deep thought. "That's interesting. Did Dumbledore mention when you'll be having another meeting?"

Harry shook his head. "He did make it sound like there would be another meeting though."

"Oh good. It would be terrible if he didn't have any more information."

"Can you make anything out of it 'Mione?" He asked while looking at her.

The bushy haired girl shook her head. "No, I don't have enough information."

"Right." Harry shook his head in understanding and continued eating. About five minutes went by before the trip stood and headed for Transfiguration.

Professor McGonagall was in the room as all of the students piled in. She was removing many lamps out of bodes and placing them on the students desks with a flick of her wand. Harry, Jess, and Hermione all sat together at a table as the rest of the class piled in. Among the few stragglers that barely made it into the room before class started were Ron and Lavender. They walked over to the last available desk as Lavender giggled about something. Hermione bit her lip and dug out her Transfiguration book. Jess looked from Hermione to Harry with a worried look. He didn't know what to do and just shrugged.

Ron was grinning like a fool as Lavender hung on his arm. When professor McGonagall turned away from the class for a moment to acquire a lamp for her, Ron snuck a quick kiss from Lavender. Unfortunately, this didn't go by unnoticed by Hermione who almost snapped her quill in two in retaliation.

Jess quickly gave her a nudge which got her attention. "Don't worry about them. He'll realize he'd being a git." Jess whispered sympathetically.

Hermione gave her a stiff nod and focused her attention back to the front of the room where professor McGonagall was standing, ready to start class. "Today we will be transfiguring these ordinary table lamps into lizards. It is not as easy as it sounds and do not be discouraged if you do not get it on the first few tries. Most students in the past struggled with it for the majority of the class period. The lizard you will be transfiguring should be able to fit in the palm of your hand. The distinctive trait to let you know that you have the right type of lizard is that the lizard will have a bright blue tail." Professor McGonagall stopped short in her explanation when she heard high pitched giggling.

Lavender was laughing at a joke Ron had told her as professor McGonagall went on with her lecture. She stopped giggling when she heard dead silence. Professor McGonagall looked over at her sternly. "Miss Brown, I suggest you listen to what I have to say." Her mouth had all but disappeared except for a thin line. Lavender nodded while being a little frightened by the professor's look on her face.

"Now as I was saying, if your lizard has a bright blue tail you have the right lizard. The spell for the transfiguration is _Lizamulum_. With a sharp flick of your wand while saying the spell slowly and clearly your lamp should transform into the desired lizard. I shall demonstrate." Professor McGonagall pulled out her wand. She slowly said, "Lizamulum." The lamp began to contort and twist before their very eyes. Soon on the professor's desk laid a tiny lizard that could easily fit in the palm of her hand as she picked it up. The little lizard scurried around her hand and began to climb up her tartan robes. "Any questions?"

The entire class gave her some indication that they had no questions. Neville Longbottom however looked very uncertain as he looked at the lamp on his desk. Seamus who was sitting next to him scooted his chair three inches to the left to give them more distance incase Neville's execution backfired like it had many times in the past.

"If there are no questions you may begin." Professor McGonagall took the lizard to the big cage she had prepared.

"Can you believe him?!" Hermione hissed in a whisper as they were let loose.

Jess quickly picked up on the fact that she meant Ron. "He's just being stupid, Hermione."

"He should know better than to do _that_ during class!"

"Calm down, what's done is done. You can't go back and change it. And even if you still had the time turner its not that big of a deal." She knew Hermione had found the loophole of the time turner, since after all she had, had one all third year to get to her classes.

Hermione gave her a pointed look. "Still, he should know better."

"He does, but I don't think he cares."

Hermione looked over at Ron and Lavender who were busy flirting and laughing. She huffed and turned back to her lamp. "Lizamulum!' She spat out, almost stabbing the lamp in the process.

Jess placed a hand on her wrist. "You've going to end up killing it before it fully changes that way. Right Harry?" She looked over to Harry for help in how to calm down Hermione.

"Jess is right, 'Mione. You just need to relax and forget all about Ron and Lavender. You're letting them get the better of you. You're stronger than that." Harry replied while offering her a small smile. Hermione sighed and put her wand down for a moment to compose herself. After a couple minutes she picked back up her wand and tried again.

For the majority of the class period only Hermione had successfully transfigured her lamp. Ron really didn't try since he was too preoccupied with Lavender and vice versa. Jess was the next successful after Hermione. With fifteen minutes left in the class she had successfully transfigured her lamp.

Neville was trying as hard as he possibly could, perhaps a bit too hard as he had accidentally stabbed the lamp four times. Seamus had increased the space between them and felt more at ease. "I have to get this to work." Neville quietly said to himself. He flicked his wand. "Lizarmulum! No… That's not it. Lizamolum! That's not it either!" He sighed and looked at the lamp as if it was mocking him. Neville rolled up his sleeves and looked at the lamp determined as he flicked his wand. "Lizardulum!"

A loud explosion was heard as Neville's lamp flew up into the air five feet before crashing in the aisle. The lamp violently contorted around on the floor while growing in size. It was soon double, triple the size of the lamp. Professor McGonagall stopped in her tracks and looked over at the spectacle. The chain that had hung from the lamp was now a three foot long tail, and still growing. After a couple minutes instead of the hand-sized lizard that was supposed to be there, was a twelve-foot crocodile.

The entire room broke out into pandemonium as students were frantically running around, trying to get away. Neville was frozen with fear as the crocodile slinked away from his table. Neville then fainted on the table. Professor McGonagall was trying to calm down the students while instructing them on what to do.

The crocodile nonchalantly roamed around the room looking for a snack. Students were flying out of the crocodiles path as fast as the possibly could. The next thing that was heard was a sickening crunch of bones breaking and a blood curdling scream from Hermione Granger.

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Well there was chapter 39. I'm not sure when there will be a new update as always. But the more reviews I get the sooner it will probably be. I hope everyone enjoyed this chapter as much as I enjoyed writing it. I had a lot of fun writing this one so I hope it paid off. More to come soon and I will see you all next chapter, which will be chapter 40! Wow times flies when you're having fun! Please read and review!


	40. Forbidden Feelings

Hello everyone! For starters I honestly didn't thik I would have the time to update this so quickly, but I'm glad I did! This as you all know is chapter 40! I honestly am as shocked you all are! Its so exciting! And in celebration of this being the 40th chapter a lot of exciting stuff happens in this chapter! I had so much fun writing this one, and I know you will enjoy it since Draco is in it! As well as you get to figure out just what the heck happened at the end of the last chapter. Hahaha, I love cliffhangers. They're so much fun! So I will not further delay and get on with it. I do not own Harry Potter!

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"HERMIONE!" Jess and Harry yelled as they ran over to Hermione, who had sunk to the floor and dissolved into tears.

"Oh thank God you're okay!" Jess exclaimed while bending down and hugging her tight. "What was the scream about?"

Harry who was still standing over the pair saw what Hermione had been screaming about. "Oh… My…"

"RON!" Hermione screamed at the top of her lungs as she struggled to get out of Jess' grasp and go over to Ron.

Ron was lying on the floor in agony as the crocodile had chomped on his leg. Lavender had leapt out of the way just in the nick of time. Ron was yelling excruciating pain while fumbling for his wand. Blood was gushing out of his leg everywhere, covering the floor around him in a pool of crimson liquid.

This only made it worse for the students that someone had been attacked. The people closest to the door ran out of the room yelling and screaming at the top of their lungs.

"What is all this rumpus?!" Snape yelled as he walked past a gaggle of screaming sixth year Gryffindors.

They stopped and looked at professor Snape."Neville turned his lamp into a crocodile instead of a lizard! And it attacked Ron!" Exclaimed Parvati while trying to catch her breath from running.

"He should have never been trusted with a wand." Snape muttered, convinced as he ran down the hall towards professor McGonagall's room.

It was like he was in slow motion as he ran forward towards Ron while brandishing out his wand. He knew he had to save him. He just had to. Halting just short of the crocodile he stared it down. The crocodile released its grip on Ron's leg and stared at him. "Stupefy!" Harry shouted at the crocodile. It hardly seemed to affect it as Harry was getting desperate. The crocodile started moving in on Harry. "Crucio!" He yelled, which stopped the crocodile in its tracks as it growled in pain. "Ron…" Harry looked foe professor McGonagall. A tall and gaunt figure appeared at his side. Harry cast a side glance. "Professor Snape?"

"I'll take this form here." He pushed Harry out of the way and took out his wand. "Evanesco!" Snape declared and the crocodile vanished into nothing.

Ron had passed out due to blood loss. Once the crocodile was out of the way, professor McGonagall concurred up a stretcher and levitated Ron on top of it. She then led the stretcher quickly to the infirmary.

"'Mione? Hermione speak to me." Jess whispered while shaking her gently.

Hermione looked at Jess with her chocolate brown eyes. Her eyes looked like melting chocolate due to the effect of the tears in her eyes. "Ron…" Was all she managed to say.

Jess helped her up. "Ron will be okay. Madam Pomfrey will fix him up." She offered Hermione her arm to hold onto, which she accepted without hesitation. They walked over to Harry, who was simply standing there in shock. "Harry?"

He turned and looked at Jess. "You okay?"

She nodded. "One of us has to be. That was quick thinking Harry with the spells."

Harry nodded grimly. "Are you two going to go see Ron?"

"Do you think I have a choice in the matter?" Jess asked with a raised eyebrow. She did want to go and check on him. She was extremely worried, but not as much as Hermione was. Even if Jess didn't want to go, she could count on Hermione dragging her down there.

Harry gave her a weak smile. "I'll come with you." He walked over and helped walk Hermione to the infirmary. When they got there Madam Pomfrey was running around trying to find what she needed. Professor McGonagall helped wherever she could. Snape had gone to alert Dumbledore of what happened. The hospital wind was empty besides the people that previously mentioned. Ron was laying on one of the beds unconscious with his right leg propped up. He was so pale that it rivaled Malfoy. Hermione let go of Jess and Harry and sat in a chair on Ron's left side. She looked at Ron sorrowfully while holding his left hand.

Jess couldn't help but smile at Hermione's gesture. She really did love Ron, even if she wouldn't admit it. Harry sidled up to Jess and watched the pair. "He'll be glad to know that she was here." He said to her.

"Very glad. Hopefully now he will realize how much of a git he's been."

"One can hope. How are you feeling? I know for me this was pretty startling to say the least."

"I'm just shocked is all. When I woke up this morning I didn't expect to end up seeing Ron in the hospital. I just hope he's okay, I hate to think that he's in pain." She looked at Ron sadly.

Harry put a hand on her shoulder. "He'll be okay, Jess. Ron's a fighter. He'll pull through soon."

Jess smiled at him. "I know. I can't help but worry."

Ginny then came through the doors and stopped short of the bed that Ron was currently occupying. She looked extremely worried as well as frustrated. "First you two are going out and now I find my brother in the hospital! What's next?!"

"Ginny, I'm sorry." Jess took a step toward the redheaded girl.

"Just go Jess."

She nodded and looked at Ron one last time before leaving. Harry followed her out. They walked down a less used hallway and stopped. Jess leaned against the wall and sighed. "This isn't fair Harry."

"What isn't fair?" He walked over to her and pulled her into a hug.

Meanwhile the news of what happened to Ron had spread like wildfire. Most people felt sorry for him, but the Slytherin house was a different story. Draco roared with laughter as Pansy told him what she had heard.

"I always thought Longbottom was a danger to everyone around him." He snorted while picturing the look on Neville's face when it happened.

Pansy shrieked with laughter along with him. She was always happy to see Draco in such a good mood, and talking to her as well. "He's a squib. He should have never been allowed to come here." She responded with a grin on her face.

"He should be locked up before he injures someone _important_. Luckily it was just the _weasel_." Draco stressed the words, important and weasel.

Crabbe and Goyle sat there stupidly and laughed at whatever Draco said, berating Ron. They looked like a couple of monkeys, waiting for the head nod from Draco so they could pick their noses. How Draco put up with them was a mystery.

"I'm going to go check it out." Draco said while rising.

"Go where?" Pansy asked, not wanting him to leave.

"The hospital wing. I want to see just how bad the weasel got hurt." He smirked while adjusting his robes, before making his way to the door. Pansy sighed and watched him leave. Draco strutted down the hall with his head high. He would have to be sneaky to get in and pass everyone. Luckily, sneaky came with his title of the Prince of Slytherin. He heard some people ahead and ducked out of sight.

"This whole thing Harry! First Ron is mad at us, now Ginny is and now Ron is in the hospital wing! Is this happening to us just because we started dating each other?"

Draco snuck his head around to see who was with Potter. He was pretty sure he knew who it was but he wanted to make sure. A light blonde eyebrow raised as Draco saw the one girl he was hoping wasn't there.

"No Jess this isn't happening to punish us. I'm sure of it." Harry smiled down at Jess and wrapped his arms around her in a comforting hug.

"Why is all of this happening to us? I don't like it Harry. I don't like it at all. What's going to happen next?" She asked while looking up at him.

"Nothing else is going to happen. We've made it through the tough part, it should be smooth sailing from here." Harry reassured her.

"Do you really think so Harry?"

"I do, Jess. I think everything is going to be fine and you have nothing to worry about."

"I'll hold you to that." Jess said with a grin.

"I knew you would." Harry grinned and bent down close to her. He placed a soft kiss on her lips while he ran a hand through her lush hair. Jess closed her eyes as they kissed and smiled against his lips.

Draco felt a sensation surge through his body so abrupt and violently that he stumbled back. He gripped the wall tightly in reaction to his raging hormones. They seemed to be getting the better of him, which left Draco puzzled as well as afraid. The sudden blip of fear eradicated itself as soon as it had come. Draco felt a burning like molten lava bubbling in the pit of his stomach. He lost all rational thinking and his irrational thoughts began to take over. How dare that worthless slime talk to her, let alone touch her? Potter had some nerve to place his grimy, contaminated lips on her pouty, rose petal soft, angel lips. No one deserved to kiss her in the Gryffindor house, the least of all Harry Potter. He'd need to teach Potter what his rightful place was, away from her. As far away from her as he could manage, the farther away the better. Draco felt his rage boil over when Harry dared to kiss Jess not once, but twice. He had the urge to snap Harry's neck in two in five seconds flat. It took all of Draco's will power to hold himself back and not reveal himself, tackling Potter to the ground in the process. He wanted to beat Harry within an inch of his life and then tell him what worthless scum he was. He wanted every blow of his fist across Potter's body to leave an impression as well as a long lasting mark to match his damned scare head. A few new scares would accentuate that bloody scar on his head quite nicely. Draco would have no shame in beating Harry to the ground, only swelling pride. Never in his life had Draco wanted to cause so much physical harm to someone, and it was for something he himself could not control. But he had to make Potter realize Draco's anger and wrath for the unforgiveable deed he had just done. It was more than just a simple kiss, it was personal. It shook Draco to the very core that some would dare kiss _**his**_ woman. His? Since when was she ever his? _She's always been mine, ever since I decided she was mine to have,_ or so thought Draco. Harry was not in the wrong for kissing her, but to Draco he was. To Draco it was as though Potter had stolen all the beauty and joy of this world and horded it for himself, and that was unforgiveable. Jess was the hope diamond of jewelry, the Cleopatra of her day. Her beauty outshined any other sad attempt at stealing her glory. Any room she walked in, the room began to glitter and sparkle with her. Draco was pretty sure that with Jess' outstanding beauty she could solve crisis', like the ongoing distaste wizards and centaurs felt for each other. Perhaps she could even make trees bow in recognition to her. This he doubted but liked how it sounded nonetheless. As Harry pulled away from her a second time he felt relief. He watched Potter intently as if already passing judgment on his next move. When Harry grabbed her hand and suggested they go back and check on Ron, Draco took a small step forward. A low growl emitted from his throat as Harry gently clasped Jess' hand in his and walked away. When they were out of view Draco stepped out from his hiding place. "What was that all about?" He sneered in disgust. "So, that's who she's with? She would have been better off with a squib." He muttered to himself with a smirk. Though however snide and sarcastic he tried to sound it fell short in his tone of voice. He was too bitter and angry to be his usual sarcastic self. Draco felt something else inside him as he stared down the hall after the two Gryffindor's. He tried to put a finger on what it was but came up with nothing. He groaned in frustration as he ran a hand through his platinum blonde hair. What was it? Rage? Well, he already knew he felt plenty of that. Could it have been jealousy? Now that he thought about it all the feelings that he felt clash against each other in such a short amount of time fit that description perfectly. So he was jealous of Potter. Well he never would have thought that would happen. Come to think of it, Draco had never really been jealous of anyone. He being a Malfoy had always got what he wanted. This was the first time he could recollect wanting something so much but not getting it. The jealousy was beginning to consume him as he stood in the hall not moving. He scoffed out loud to himself. "Jealous of Potter? What rubbish! Scare head has nothing I would ever want." _Except her_, he added mentally. Draco shook his head to clear his thoughts. So much for going to check on the weasel, he shrugged and walked back to the Slytherin common room. When he got there Crabbe, Goyle, and Pansy were still sitting there. Draco raised an eyebrow and stood there. "Have you been sitting here the entire time I was gone?"

Pansy nodded with a smile, happy to have her Draco back. "So, how did he look?"

He had to come up with something fast since he hadn't actually seen what the weasel looked like. "Dreadful." He said with his perfected smirk. "He looked more pathetic than he usually does." The entire group laughed at Ron's misfortune. Draco was pleased with himself and his quick mindedness.

"Come and sit down Draco." Pansy purred while patting the available couch space next to her.

"I don't think so." Draco declined and went up to the boy's dormitory. He opened the door to see no one else in the room. He kicked his trunk and sank down on his bed while muttering. "Damn Potter." He continued to sulk about the misfortunate turn of events of finding out Anderson was with Potter. As much as Draco wanted to do something about it he couldn't. Sighing, he leaned back and lay on his poster bed, gazing up at the ceiling. If she wanted to settle for that trash then that was her business, not his. He situated himself on his bed with a Quidditch magazine and soon forgot about the auburn haired witch.

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Ta da! There is chapter 40. And now for my plea that you all review. Since I know everyone probably loved this chapter is it so hard to ask that you review? I don't think it is. So, I'm not going to update this chapter until I get ten reviews from this chapter. If I get more thats great! If I get less, well its going to take a while. So please review!


	41. difficult redheads

Hello everyone! I am back and hopefully with not too much of a delay! First off I'd like to thank everyone for the reviews! Its safe to say that there is over ten now and well that's why I'm updating, also I have nothing better to do at the moment. So I figured why not. I sadly can't work on the story, as in progessing it further since I left some of my stuff and papers at home. Yes, I plan stuff out, amazing I know! Anyways, I hope everyone enjoyed the last chapter. As I said before its the start of the turning point and there is usually going to be more stuff going on. This chapter was esstential for two reasons, I'm sure you're all bright enough to figure them out once you have read this chapter. So, I do not own Harry Potter.

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Jess and harry walked back into the hospital wing to check and see how Ron was doing. He was still asleep in the bed. A smile crossed Jess' face as she noticed the peaceful expression on his face. _Madam Pomfrey must have already got some potions in him to relieve the pain,_ she thought.

Ginny was sitting with Hermione next to Ron's bed. She looked a lot less upset now, which was a good sign for Jess and Harry. Jess casually walked up and placed a hand on Ginny's shoulder. "Ginny?"

The red headed girl turned and looked up at Jess. "Yeah?"

"I really am sorry. If I had known this was going to happen I would have waited to tell you about, you know. I didn't mean to upset you with the news. Please forgive me?" She looked down at Ginny with a compassionate look. Jess really did feel sorry about how Ginny had reacted to the news of her and Harry, and now what happened to Ron.

Ginny looked up at Jess. "No, I'm the one that should be sorry. I shouldn't have reacted like that. I should have been happy for you and Harry. Forgive me?" Her cinnamon brown eyes looked up at Jess' emerald ones softly.

A broad smiled lit up on Jess' face. "Of course I forgive you Gin!"

"I forgive you too, Jess." Ginny got up from her chair and both girls hugged. Hermione looked at the pair and smiled. At least one thing was back to normal.

A few minutes later a plump middle-aged, redhead woman came in, followed by her tall redheaded husband. She hurried over to the bed where Ron laid sleeping. "What happened?" She asked, looking at her baby boy, since Ron was the youngest besides Ginny, he was the baby boy of the family.

"Neville accidentally turned what was supposed to be transfigured into a lizard a crocodile. The crocodile than bit Ron's leg." Jess explained to her.

"Oh dear! My poor Ron!" Mrs. Weasley flung her arms around her son and began to cry. Molly Weasley was a feisty woman but kind and compassionate. She cared deeply for all of her seven children. Mrs. Weasley was the perfect role model as to what to try and strive to be as a mother.

Mr. Weasley stood behind his wife quietly with a hand placed on her shoulder. He was also an amazing parent and would do anything to make sure his wife and children would be safe. He looked solemnly over his wife's shoulder to his son.

Jess walked back over to Harry, who was standing there, looking at Ron. "I should ask if you are okay." She whispered to him.

His eyes adverted from Ron's hospital bed over to Jess' beautiful green eyes. "I'm alright Jess. I'm relieved that Ron is now safe in the hospital wing. I hope he recovers quickly."

"He's in the hands of Madam Pomfrey, Harry. You know firsthand how fast she can treat a patient."

Harry nodded as he thought back to some of the instances where he had been bed-ridden in the hospital wing. The one that stuck out to him the most was back in second year after his Quidditch match against Slytherin. Harry's first match against Draco Malfoy. Harry had caught the snitch, but not without breaking his arm. Which really wouldn't have been that big of a deal if Lockhart, their second year Defense Against the Dark Arts teacher, wouldn't have stuck his nose in other people's business. Lockhart cast a spell on Harry's arm to relieve the pain of his broken bones. He did succeed but ended up removing all of the bones in Harry's arm. His arm flopped around like a wet noodle. It was safe to say that Madam Pomfrey wasn't pleased at Lockhart's handy work. Neither was Harry, for he spent a very painful night in the hospital wing while his bones grew back. Harry never wanted to experience that again.

"Harry?" Jess asked while tugging on his sleeve.

He looked down at her. "Yeah?"

"Its past visiting hours and she wants us students to leave."

"Oh." He blinked and registered what she was saying. "Let's go."

Jess looked over to Hermione and Ginny. Hermione had stood up and joined Jess and Harry while Ginny still sat on her chair. "Coming, Gin?" She asked the redhead.

"No, Jess I'm not. Madam Pomfrey said I could stay here until my parents leave" Ginny replied.

"Oh alright. Tell us if anything new happens with Ron."

"Will do, see ya later."

The golden group now reduced to a trio left and went back up to the Gryffindor common room. Jess was sitting across from Harry playing a game of Wizards Chess with him when something hit her. "I just thought of something."

Harry had his bishop move three spaces forward, diagonally. "What?"

"Amongst the chaos did professor McGonagall assign any homework?"

Harry's eyebrows furrowed in thought. "I don't remember. Hey, Hermione? Do you remember if we got any homework in Transfiguration?"

Hermione looked up from her copy of _Hogwarts a History_ and looked over to Harry and Jess before speaking. "No, she didn't."

"Okay, just making sure." Jess piped in before the silence settled back in. The occasional yell or scream from the chess pieces being the only noise. After the game of chess the trio took their separate ways and went to bed.

The next few days were long and tiring for most of the student body. Ron had woken up Wednesday evening, wondering what happened. He woke up to Hermione sitting in a chair next to him and Harry and Jess sitting on the other side of his bed. Ron seemed to forget his fight with his three best friends in a hurry. Thursday morning Lavender came in to see Ron and was told by him that it was over. She ran out crying, while Hermione could not have been any happier with his decision. At least it was a step in the right direction. Jess inwardly chuckled as Harry shook his head.

Now Draco on the other hand had, had a miserable past couple days. He couldn't get the thought of Potter 'violating' Jess out of his head. It seemed like everything led back to them and his jealousy. He still did his duty of following Zabini around, hoping that way he could relieve a fraction of his anger. Other things that helped him manage his pent up rage were imaging Harry getting the crap kicked out of him by Draco. A smug smirk always graced his lips when he thought of that. Pansy had no idea why he would smirk like that, but she found it positively dreamy. It was during these thoughts of Scar head lying motionless on the floor that Draco's week hit an all time low. He hadn't been paying attention to his surroundings when he felt a pair of strong arms push him up against a wall. This got his attention in a hurry. A light eyebrow rose when he saw Blaise Zabini standing in front of him. "You know there are other ways to get my attention." He retorted dryly. Zabini had a handful of Draco's collar and pushed him back. "What do you want?" Draco snapped while pushing him off. Draco wasn't a small guy and only when caught off guard could he be pushed around.

Zabini looked at him with narrowed eyes. "You said you'd stay out of my business."

"And I have been, Zabini, so what's your point?"

"You've been following me around."

"Don't flatter yourself. Why would I want to follow you around? If you haven't noticed Blaise, that people follow me around, not vice versa." Draco said in his usual drawl.

"Then you explain to me why you've been following me around, Draco." Zabini proved to be not as thick as Draco thought. He stared down Draco, not budging an inch.

"I have no idea what you're talking about."

"Don't think I haven't noticed."

"You don't notice a lot of things." Draco replied pointedly. "So what is it this time?"

"You've been following me around for the past few weeks. I think its time you stopped."

"Zabini, why would I want to follow you around in the first place?"

"Because you want the mudblood for yourself."

Draco couldn't help but burst out laughing. "So this is what this is all about? You think I'm trying to steal a muggle-born from you? When will you ever learn?"

"I don't think, I know. " He took a step closer to Draco. "You've been closely following me around so I never ended up alone with her in the hallway."

"Who Zabini? I'm curious."

"That mudblood, Anderson."

Draco looked at Zabini. "Anderson? You mean my partner for that accursed project at the beginning of the year? Oh that's funny, Blaise. If you remembered I couldn't stand her. Still can't as a matter of fact."

"Oh? Then why at Halloween did you push me into Parkinson when I was dancing with her?"

Draco paled. How had he figured out that was him in the costume? He was certain that Pansy wouldn't tell anyone out of her own selfishness.

"I didn't see you there and no one else has noticed my interest in the little mudblood. I knew it had to be you. Surprised I figured it out? I'm not as dense as you think. Now, back to what I was saying. I've noticed you following me Draco and I have to wonder why. Why do you follow me around? Is there something I should know about? Or perhaps your father?"

Draco tensed at the mention of his father. He knew Zabini would find some way to tell his father if he didn't stop. But if Draco didn't follow him around she'd be in danger, which was something he couldn't let happen. "So what are you telling me Zabini? You're going to tattle on me so I stop?' He acted like the thought of his father figuring it out didn't faze him, though inside it terrified him.

"If I have to. I had hoped we didn't have to resort to that."

"What was your idea Blaise?"

"Simple, stop following me around."

He thought about this for a moment. Why did he care anyways? Potter was there to protect her anyways. Why was it his job when she had Wonder boy? Isn't that all he did anyways? Saving everyone and everything because he was Harry Potter. Yes, she'd be safe with Potty. Draco had no point in protecting her anymore with him around to wave his wand and fuzzy bunnies and world peace pours out from it. "Whatever Zabini." Draco turned to leave.

"Does that mean we've come to an agreement?"

"Yeah, whatever. I don't care what you do and who you do it with." He replied shortly and walked off. Draco walked back to the Slytherin house and back up to his room. _Potter better protect her or I'll kill him,_ he thought as he cracked open his Divination and got to work.

The weekend proved to lighten up in mood for golden group. On Saturday morning, Ron was let out of the hospital wing. With Harry's help, Ron hobbled down the corridor and up to the Gryffindor common room. Madam Pomfrey had told him to take it easy and not do any excess activities on his feet. It was a happy moment for everyone as Ron sat down on his bed. He was talking to his three closest and best friends once again. It had taken a life threatening experience to turn him around and get his priorities in order. Hopefully next time, if there was a next time, it wouldn't have to go to such extreme measures.

The redheaded male looked up at Harry from his position on his bed. "Hey, Harry, when's out next Quidditch practice?"

The raven haired boy couldn't help but chuckle as Hermione tutted and got ready to launch into a speech about how he needed to rest. Harry beat her to the punch. "Its Tuesday night. Think you can make it?"

"Make it? I'll be there dressed and ready to go. Nothing will keep me away from the pitch." Ron replied with a puffed out chest and a determined look on his face.

"Except perhaps your leg that almost got bitten off by a crocodile." Jess commented sarcastically.

"Thank you Jess! Its nice to know someone is on my side on this issue." Hermione looked over at Ron before continuing to speak. "I don't think it's a good idea if you start up so soon, Ron. You could make it worse or re-break your leg."

"I'm fine, Hermione" he insisted. "I was in the hospital wing for almost four days. My leg is as good as new!" A cheesy grin crept up on his face. This received a more disapproving look from Hermione.

She rolled her eyes in frustration. "Is it going to take you breaking your leg again to realize you aren't indestructible?"

"Possibly." Ron looked over to Harry who was sitting next to Jess. "You two have been awfully quiet, care to explain why?"

Jess looked at Harry who in turn looked back at her. They stayed like this for a couple minutes until Jess sighed. "Do you think now is the best time?"

"I'm not sure if any time is the best time, Jess. But we have to tell him some time. The sooner might be the better."

"You remember what we agreed to?" Jess looked at Harry with a questioning look.

Harry sighed and nodded. "I'm the one to tell him."

She smiled and placed a hand on his arm. "Good luck."

"Thanks, I'll need it."

Ron was becoming impatient and interrupted their conversation. "Tell me what?"

Harry looked away from Jess and over to Ron. "I'm only going to tell you if you promise to not tell anyone else."

"Alright, but I don't see what the big deal is. Does Hermione know?"

He nodded. "Yes, she was the first one told."

"And why wasn't I told?" Ron sounded a bit angry that he had been left out of the loop but Hermione had been told.

"Because Ron, you were mad at us."

"But so was she!'

"She got over it long before you did. That's why she was told first."

He pouted and crossed his arms over his chest, waiting for Harry to continue. "Well, go on."

Harry sighed and ran a hand through his untidy black hair. "Jess and I are going out."

Ron's reaction was priceless yet typical of his. His blue eyes grew in size and he had one of his character facial expressions placed on his face. He looked stunned, like the crocodile had come back and almost bit his other leg off. No words came out of him for a few seconds before he shouted with must gusto one of his catch phrases. "Bloody hell, Harry!"

Harry sighed and shook his head. He had always known that telling Ron would be the one of the hardest people to break it to. No one ever knew exactly how Ron would react. It was like the surprise toy in a cereal box, you never knew which one you would get. The over used one that you got over half of the time, or the new and unpredictable one. Harry waited with bated breath for him to continue.

Jess sat next to Harry, but he had probably forgotten she was there since she hadn't said a single word since Ron had been told the news. She fidgeted in her seat, waiting to see if Ron would explode.

He just stared at Jess and Harry. How long had that been going on? Ron thought for a moment. Had they really been going out? Was Harry just playing a sick joke on him or pulling his leg. "Harry?" He asked in an abnormally serious voice.

Harry looked over at him. "Yes, Ron?"

"Are you and Jess really going out?'

"Yes, Ron, we are."

Ron stood up while shaking his head. "I can't believe you didn't tell me! How long were you planning on keeping this from me?!" He limped around the room in a pace. Just as Jess and Harry had thought, he wasn't taking it well. Ron hid his jealously with his act of being annoyed that he hadn't been informed. But Harry, Jess and Hermione could tell that it was just a cover for how he really felt. Ron was obviously jealous of how Harry had gotten a girlfriend. It made him feel inferior in some way. That he couldn't get a girlfriend or that he couldn't sustain one. "How long have you two been going out?'

"About three weeks or so." Harry replied while watching Ron slowly pace around the room.

Jess had, had enough of him scrutinizing them. She stood up and walked over to Ron, stopping him in his tracks. "I am sick and tired of you acting as though you are my father! You have no say in what I do, alright? So stop acting like you do. Think of it this way, Harry and I could hide it from you longer. How would that make you feel? Instead we waited to tell you when we thought you would be able to handle it. You should feel honored that we care so much about you that we want you to be as comfortable about this was you can be. But if you keep acting like a child its not going to make anything better. Its up to you on how you take out news and what you do with it." Jess stopped blocking his way and walked back over to Harry and Hermione. "I'm going to go work on some homework, I'll see you guys later." After placing a light kiss on Harry's cheek Jess left.

Ron was looking out of one of their windows, out onto the Quidditch pitch. His hand lay on the cool glass as he continued to look out. No longer was anger on his face, but a look of taking everything in. "She means a lot to you doesn't she, Harry?" He asked while turning around to face him.

A small smile crept up on Harry's face. "All three of you mean a lot to me. But yes, she does." His green eyes looked into Ron's blue ones.

The redhead walked over and sat in-between Harry and Hermione. "I guess I was being a complete git wasn't I?"

"Do you want me to answer that truthfully?"

A sheepish grin broke out on Ron's face. "Okay, so I was. Sorry Harry, and when you see Jess, can you tell her I'm sorry?"

The bushy haired girl spoke up. "I think you can do it yourself. It'll mean a lot more if you tell her yourself instead of Harry."

He groaned, "Do I have to?"

Hermione gave him a pointed look. "Who was the one that started this in the first place?"

"I did."

"Then yes you should."

"Oh, alright! When though?"

"Next time you see her. Or I can go and get her." She rose from her seat. "

"You don't have to do that 'Mione."

Harry decided to speak up. "I think she's right Ron. The sooner you apologize the sooner this is over with."

"I guess." He shrugged and looked at Hermione. "Go and get her."

Hermione gave them both a small smile before exiting the room. Five minutes later she came back with Jess, who looked like she didn't want to be there. "Alright, what's going on?" She sat down her books on a table and looked at the two guys in the room.

Ron cleared his throat before speaking. "I suppose I should apologize for how I acted."

"Go on." Jess shifted her weight from one foot to the other while looking impatient.

He stopped for a moment to think of how he should properly phrase it. "I'm sorry for being a git."

"And a twit."

"Yes, and I twit."

"Not to mention a prat."

"Alright, I get it Jess. Will you forgive me?" Ron looked up at her while waiting for her answer.

Jess stood there for a moment not saying anything. She thought it through long and hard before she looked back at Ron. "I forgive you."

The redhead grinned and felt relieved as he stood back up. "Great! What should we do now?"

Hermione had noticed that Jess had grabbed her books and was about to go do homework. "I think Jess had a good idea of doing homework."

"Blimey Hermione! I'm out of the hospital wing for not even a day and you're already suggesting that I do my homework." Ron whined to her.

She bristled at his whining tone. "Ronald you slept through two days of classes. You're behind in your studies!"

"What's new about that?" Harry replied sarcastically.

"Harry that's not helping! Ron you should really catch up. We can help you with the classes that you missed."

Ron looked at her. "Can we just do it tomorrow?"

"No, you have a lot to catch up on!"

He rolled his eyes. "I'll do it later."

"When?"

"Later!"

"When later?"

"I don't know! Just later!"

Jess picked up her books and secured them in her arms. "I have an idea."

A pair of chocolate brown eyes met Jess. "What's your idea Jess?" Hermione smiled, knowing that Jess would back her up.

"How about we go outside for a couple hours and then we come back and do our homework. That way you can both get your way and there won't be any more arguing."

"Oh alright!' She gave in reluctantly. "As long as we do homework afterwards."

"I promise 'Mione. I'm going to put my books away. Be right back." Jess headed for the door and left.

Ron grabbed his broom. "I can't wait to get back on my broom!"

"Oh no you don't!" Hermione grabbed one side of his broom.

"Let go Hermione!" Ron exclaimed as he tugged on the broom.

"No! You shouldn't by flying right after you got out of the hospital!" Hermione gave the broom a tug.

Harry raced over to the middle of the tug of war. "Hermione's right Ron. Just wait a couple days until practice."

"Fine. " Ron huffed and put his broom away while grabbing his cloak. "Happy?"

"Yes actually." Hermione retorted while heading for the door. She went up to the girl's dormitory to fetch her cloak. Once they were all ready they headed outside.

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Well there was chapter 41. Again, not sure when I'll have the next one up, but I will hopefully soonish. Please review as always! Thanks and until next chapter!


	42. Solidification

Hello everyone! I'm back after a long absence! Well alright not that long, but its been some time. The reason why is I've been having the most terrible writers block and well its been driving me nuts. Anyways, now that I'm slowly getting over it, I thought I would update. I have a feeling people are going to find this chapter very interesting, or I can hope... I apologize for the wait but hopefully this will be worth it. There is a lot of Draco in this one. :D I know that makes EVERYONE happy, right? Also, its either in the next chapter or the one after that, that things get VERY interesting. Also, please read the author's note at the bottom as I will be having a poll question I would like you to answer. It refers back to who you guys want to survive, but I have now narrowed down the choices to two. Without further delay, I do not own Harry Potter.

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The next week went by quickly. The student's workload was particularly heavy and they scrambled around just to get it done in time for its appropriate class. Draco found this distraction of homework to be a relief. It gave him no spare time to stalk Zabini around the castle, nor did it give him much time to reminisce and wish bodily harm on Harry. With the small spare time Draco had left over it was solely concentrated on his upcoming Quidditch match against Ravenclaw.

Finally the morning of Saturday November seventeenth arrived. Draco woke up earlier than normal and began to suit up for the match that afternoon. He slid on his expensive dragon hide gloves that only he could afford, with pride. Ravenclaw had a fairly good team but they were no match for the Slytherin's. Draco knew this and had his characteristic smirk on his face as he looked into the large mirror in the bathroom. He had returned to his old ways and slicked back his hair for the match. Though he still looked handsome, Draco knew why he had to let the habit die at the end of third year. Though he thought it would be appropriate for the match so his hair wouldn't blow in his face. Draco gave himself one last glance over in the mirror. He looked positively dreamy in his green Quidditch uniform. His entire body was no long the small child he had been his first and second year. Draco was now decently tone and had built up his strength from his summers full of practicing for Quidditch. It was his time to shine and he had prepared for it. With the soft click of the door shutting behind him, Draco grabbed his Nimbus 2001 and walked down to breakfast.

For Harry it was nice to not have to get up early. He rolled out of bed around ten and took his sweet time getting ready. The shower he took had, had to have been the longest shower he had taken in months. Harry stepped out and wrapped a towel securely around his waist before going back into his room to retrieve his clothes. When he got there he saw Ron turn over and yawn loudly. "Ron?" He semi-whispered while walking over.

Ron grunted in his sleep and rolled over. He was one that could sleep half of the day away with ease.

Harry shook his head and decided to get dressed before further trying to wake up the slumbering redhead. Once Harry was finished getting dressed he walked back over to Ron's bedside and roughly nudged him. Force was the only way to wake him up. Ron rolled back over and looked up at Harry. He sat up in bed while rubbing his right shoulder. "What was that for?" He asked with a yawn.

"Its quarter till eleven and I was wondering if you were planning on attending breakfast and then Quidditch."

Ron rubbed his eyes as Harry spoke. "Its that time already?"

"Yes, unfortunately, and we agreed to meeting up with Jess and Hermione at eleven." Harry replied while grabbing his cloak.

"I'll be down in the common room in ten minutes." The redhead then stood and ran around the room getting ready quickly. Harry couldn't help but grin because this is what always happened whenever he was at the Weasley's on the morning of when they left home and boarded the Hogwarts Express for the beginning of a new school year. That being said, Harry knew to stay out of Ron's way and headed down to the common room. About five minutes later he saw both Jess and Hermione walking down the stairs of the girl's dormitory. Harry stood from the plushy red chair he had been sitting in and walked over to the pair. "Hey Jess, Hermione." He gave Jess a quick peck on the lips.

"Hey Harry." Jess smiled and returned the kiss.

Hermione watched the pair and smiled. She then noticed there was no sign of the other boy. "Where's Ron?" She asked while looking around.

"He should be done soon" Harry responded.

"Let me guess, he woke up late again."

"Is that really a surprise?"

"Well no, but he should learn to not do everything at the last minute." Just then Ron came hopping down the stairs on one foot while trying to put on his other show. Hermione sighed and placed her hands on her hips. "Honestly Ron you should have woken up five minutes earlier and none of this would have happened."

"I know, Hermione. You never fail to remind me that I'm running later." Ron remarked back.

"Lets get some breakfast shall we?" Jess commented as she walked over to the pair, heading off a possible row. They gave each other one look and then quieted down. Jess smiled and the four walked down to the Great Hall.

When they got there they noticed both the Ravenclaw and Slytherin tables were tenser than they usually were. They all walked over to the Gryffindor table and sat down. Ron piled his plate high with anything in his reach. He devoured a stack of pancakes and moved onto his next victims, three sausages. Jess settled on some French toast and bacon, as Hermione grabbed some eggs and ham. Harry had decided on some sausage, eggs, hash browns, and a slice of toast. The four of them ate and chatted, only being interrupted once or twice by Seamus and Dean congratulating Harry on the girl he nabbed, though they had already done that once during the week. Around Wednesday Harry and Jess' secret had been revealed and they had been harassed about it for the next two days. Luckily, it had all died down by Friday night and they weren't being bothered anymore. The news had gone over better than either Jess or Harry had expected. It was helpful to know when the beans had been spilled that their best friends already supported their decision.

Once they were done eating they headed down to the pitch. Even though it was cold outside most of the students would come out and see the game. Hermione was one of the few that needed to be dragged out it her house wasn't playing. The golden troop sat together in the stands, which was a rare treat since Harry and Ron were on Gryffindor's Quidditch team. Harry sat next to Jess and wrapped his arm loosely around her as they settled in.

Draco was making last preparations with his team in the locker room. Draco being the captain of the Slytherin team this year found it even more important that they won, which they always did, unless it was against Gryffindor. Slytherin had not won the house cup since his first year. This was also the only year Draco hadn't played. The only first year in Hogwarts history to ever play on their house team was none other than Harry Potter. That and the fact that Draco had never won against his team gave him more reasons to detest Wonder boy. He scoffed as he led his team out onto the pitch.

Draco and his team marched out onto the field with their egos inflated as usual. They took their positions as the Ravenclaw team came out. Their team captain, Cho Change stood opposite of Draco.

Harry still found his first crush to be pretty, the pretty Asian girl with her long black hair and brown eyes. Cho had been Harry's first kiss. It was for the best that things had back fired them though. Harry was now with one of his close friends and a far prettier girl than Cho.

The captains grudgingly shook hands and then went to mount their brooms. Madam Hooch released the golden snitch which buzzed around Draco's head for a moment before its full supply of energy kicked in and it sped off. Madam Hooch then released the bludgers, blew her whistle and threw the quaffle in the air. One of the Ravenclaw chasers grabbed the quaffle and went pounding down the field towards the Slytherin keeper. This is the last time Draco paid any of his other teammate's attention and ascended higher into the air. He began to for now, leisurely examine the field. Cho was on the other side doing the same thing. He smirked as Draco finished his round. He had this one in the bag. A loud cheer was heard from below him, but he didn't give it one second of his time as he concentrated on where the snitch was.

Down below on the rest of the field the game was well under way. One of the Ravenclaw chasers had just scored another foal making the score Ravenclaw 20, Slytherin 10. Crabbe swung his beater bat and the bludger narrowly missed the Ravenclaw chaser who currently had the quaffle. This created an opening for one of the Slytherin chasers to steal the quaffle away. After a ten minute air chase the Slytherin's scored again and the score was tied.

All of a sudden a bludger rounded on the other side of Crabbe and walloped him in the back. The Slytherin beater grunted in response as Goyle, his fellow beater, smacked the opposing bludger away.

Ron burst out into laughter in the stands. "How thick can you get? The bludger didn't even look to faze him! Maybe he sleeps with one at night and he's suffered so many blows to the head he doesn't notice anymore."

"Is he had suffered enough blows to the head where he couldn't notice anymore he'd be unconscious or dead." Harry replied while keeping his eyes on the field.

"I can hope, can't I?"

Forty minutes into the game and only once had Draco had to make a mad dash for the snitch. It was hiding out somewhere and remained elusive to both Draco and Cho. Down at the main action the Ravenclaw's were up again by ten. The Slytherin's were getting annoyed and decided to play dirty. Using elbows, grabbing the other player's broom were among the fouls that went unnoticed by the referee Madam Hooch. The Slytherin's regained the lead and the score was now 80 to 60 in favor of Slytherin.

"Does she purposely ignore foul play or is she just stupid?" Jess asked just as Goyle collided with one of the Ravenclaw chasers.

"You know I'm not sure. I think it might be a little of both." Harry confessed as the Ravenclaw finally got away.

Ah hour and a half into the game there was still no sign of the snitch. Draco was getting frustrated with how secretive the snitch was being today. He scanned the field for what seemed like the hundredth time.

From the bleachers Jess spotted the snitch. It wasn't hard since it was hovering half a foot in front of her face. "I think I found it." She said as the snitch hovered in the air.

Harry, Hermione and Ron looked over at her. Hermione looked on with interest since she had never seen the snitch up close. Ron looked amazed and reached out to touch it as Hermione smacked his hand down. Harry blinked and said. "I don't think its even done that to me." Soon more people were looking over, including a certain Slytherin.

Draco raced off towards the Gryffindor side of the stands at top speed. He got a head start on Cho who was trying to catch up. The snitch floated there as if it was suspended in time, though you could see its wings fluttering at an alarming rate. Draco realized that if he kept going this speed he would crash into Jess. He slowed down and his broom stopped about a foot away from her. Draco then reached out his hand and clasped the snitch firmly in his hand. He had caught the snitch. The game was over.

Jess hadn't been this close to Draco in quite some time. He looked the same as always, though his hair was slicked back. She felt a blush creep up on her cheeks as Draco looked back at her, though as much as she wanted to deny it he looked very attractive with his wind-swept hair. After a few moments Jess averted her eyes and the moment was lost. Draco with the snitch in hand went back to the pitch and landed gracefully on the ground. Madam Hooch took the snitch from him and put it away with all the rest of the equipment. Draco sauntered over to the rest of his team that looked smug. They went back to the locker room and changed.

"That was interesting." Remarked Harry as they walked back up to the school. "Wonder what that was all about."

"No idea, I don't know why he felt the need to stare at me like that. It was a bit unnerving." Jess loosened her scarf as they got back into the building.

"I had never seen a snitch act like that. In _Quidditch Through the Ages, _the snitch has never been reported acting like that." Stated Ron, which one of the few books he could quote.

"I never knew what they looked like up close." Hermione confessed as they walked up a flight of stairs.

"Yeah." Jess nodded and didn't pay much attention to whatever else was being said. She thought back to the way the match ended and how Draco had looked at her. There hadn't been a single hint of malice behind his gaze. _Maybe he was just concentrated on the game, _she thought. He did just catch the snitch. _It just happened to be right next to me, just a coincidence._

Hermione led them all back to the common room for a round of homework and Ron whining. Due to the persistence and diligence of Hermione, Ron was getting his work done and he was catching up. From Ron's continual complaining you would think this was a bad thing.

Meanwhile in the Slytherin common room a party was happening. Many people had snuck in some Fire Whiskey. Draco, being the reason his team had won, thought he deserved a fire whiskey and cracked one open. He sat down on the couch triumphantly as many people came over to him and congratulated him. Among these people was a rather attractive redheaded girl.

The girl came up and sat down next to Draco. "Great game, Draco. I don't suppose we've talked before. I'm Astoria Greengrass. I'm in the year below you but my sister Daphne is in your year." Though Slytherin wasn't known for it looks, together Draco and Astoria would have easily won a beauty pageant. They were most definitely the cream of the crop. They were on the small list, along with none other than Tom Riddle that had down the names of the attractive people that landed in Slytherin. Draco guessed that his mother Narcissa was also on this list.

He smirked as he looked at the lone beauty in the room. Her sister wasn't bad looking but compared to Astoria, Daphne got the short stick. "I've seen you around." Draco replied smoothly. She could easily get his mind off of the muggle-born witch. "Glad you enjoyed the game, fire whiskey?" He produced the bottle from which he had poured himself his own drink.

Astoria shook her head. "No thanks. So tell me, what's the deal with you and Pansy?"

He looked over at Pansy who was happily chatting with Millicent. Obviously she had not seen Draco and Astoria together. "Parkinson? What about her?'

"You know what I mean. She's always hanging off of you. Are you with her?"

Draco snorted before speaking. "Me with Parkinson?" He looked repulsed by the idea. "Don't you think I have standards?"

"Well I would hope so as the lone Malfoy heir you would shoot higher."

"I do, Parkinson had just never gotten the hint that she disgusts me. No matter how much I tell her."

She raised an eyebrow. "I see, and is the Draco Malfoy on the market?"

"Why yes I am." He smugly smirked. Any girl would have killed to be with someone as hot as he was.

"Then I'm not wasting my time I see." Astoria made herself more comfortable on the couch.

"Oh?" A light eyebrow rose in curiosity. "Do tell."

Astoria smiled and began to flirt with Draco. Draco returned every one with one of his own.

Wednesday afternoon rolled around and Jess was scrambling around, getting ready to meet up with Harry foe their last class of the day which was Defense Against the Dark Arts. She ran out of the common room and down the stairs to where Harry was waiting for her. "Sorry, Harry, I thought I had enough time but then I couldn't find me notebook and now we're running late."

"its alright, Jess. No need to explain it to me." Harry replied while gently grabbing Jess' hand. "Besides its only Slughorn's class. He won't even begin the actual lesson until ten minutes into class."

"I know Harry, but its not good to get in the habit of being late. One of these days he might pull a pop quiz on us at the beginning of class."

"Only Snape would do that."

"Well what if Snape subs for the class again?"

"That's not very likely. Unless Slughorn is a werewolf or a vampire we should be fine."

Jess couldn't help but laugh. "Come on lets go before he gets upset with us." Jess pulled Harry forward by the hand that was holding onto hers and sprinted down the hall.

Draco had been walking down the hall with Astoria from the Charms classroom. Professor Flitwick had come down with the twenty-four hour flu and had canceled class. This meant a free period for Draco. He debated going for a ride on his broom but the witch beside him had different plans.

They had been inseparable, except for when it was time to sleep since the party on Saturday afternoon. This didn't bother Draco as it made him concentrate on other things besides Anderson, mainly Astoria. She saw a bench in the hall and pulled Draco down to sit with her. "I know what we can do with the free period."

"And what would tha-" Draco was cut off by Astoria's lips meeting his. This was the first time they had kissed. Draco being the cocoon of testosterone most men were he gladly accepted. They continued kissing until they heard footfalls stop right in front of them.

Jess had sprinted all the way while holding Harry's hand, until she suddenly stopped. Harry stopped as well and wondered what caused her to stop. He blinked when he noticed Malfoy in mid-kiss with a girl.

Draco felt a pair of eyes on him and looked up. There stood Jess with Harry in tow. She was gripping Potter's hand tightly as she backed away. "Lets go." She murmured before running off with Harry to class. If that didn't kill the mood nothing could as Draco sat there staring blankly ahead. For some reason he felt ashamed for her seeing him kissing another girl. Not like it mattered. She was with the perfect, fantastic Harry Potter who could do no wrong. Why did it affect him then? Why did he care? He had a pretty girl right beside him who wanted to give him her affection. And though Draco had thought he wanted it, he realized he was wrong. Draco stood up from the bench and began to walk back to the Slytherin dungeons. He didn't acknowledge Astoria who was calling after him.

Jess sat down next to Hermione once she got to Defense Against the Dark Arts. She felt oddly unsettled when she saw Malfoy with that other girl. It must have reminded her of that one time at beginning of the year when he had kissed her. Though the meaning was cruel, Jess couldn't deny that the kiss had felt, well, not that bad. She shook her head as Slughorn finally began to start the lesson. _He's probably just playing with that girl too, the slimy ferret. I hope one day he gets what he deserves._

Alright and there is chapter 42! Hopefully everyone liked it and will review. If the chapter isn't enough of an incentive to review than I have another one. As I mentioned many chapters ago I was toying around with the idea of saving one of the characters that met their untimely death in Deathly Hallows, ha, thats ironic... Anyways! So, as I mentioned in the note before the chapter I have narrowed down the selection to two people. What I would like for you to do is in your review tell me which of the two options I will give you, you perfer. Even if thats all your review says that will be helpful! I mean reasoning is welcome as that will help as well, but I really do need your guys' imput! I suppose I should give you the two choices. Well, they are, Snape and Fred. Those were the most popular so you will need to chose between those two. Please tell me which one, if you want to give me an explaination and as always PLEASE REVIEW!


	43. The Lion and the Lamb

Hello everyone! I know I'm updating AGAIN! And so soon! Its a miracle! Anyways, here we have one of the chapters you have all been waiting for! Well, one of them. Trust me, this one is pretty important I think. So, I'm going to try and make this quick and what not. There will be a note at the end of this chapter that you will need to read. So, thanks and here we go with chapter 43! I do not own Harry Potter.

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Thursday proved to be a nice break from the Slytherin's for Harry and company. After their last class of the day which was Transfiguration, they headed into the library upon Hermione's request and quickly did some homework before dinner. Once dinner rolled around, Ron moaned and groaned until Hermione had, had enough and they all went down to dinner. Moments later, Ginny joined them and sat down next to Jess.

"I'm so excited for the weekend! Its seems like forever since we've gone to Hogsmeade!" She exclaimed while filling her goblet with pumpkin juice.

"That's because we haven't gone since the weekend before Halloween." Jess replied as she picked up her silverware.

"Its almost been a month!"

"Well, the weekend after we went we had just had the Halloween party. And last weekend there was a Quidditch match." Hermione explained to Ginny.

"But what about the weekend in-between those two?"

"That's when I got out of the hospital wing" Ron remarked.

"I suppose so. Still they shouldn't wait that long in-between Hogsmeade visits." The redhead stood her ground.

"Relax Gin, its alright. Now are we all meeting up at Hogsmeade on Saturday or not?" Jess asked, getting to the point.

"We should be." The raven haired boy present said.

"Say ten o'clock like usual?"

The rest of the group nodded and they continued eating until Jess broke the silence. "Do you guys have anything planned tomorrow night?"

Harry sighed before speaking. "Quidditch practice from six to eight. We have to get some night training in since the days are getting shorter."

Ron nodded in agreement. "We can't miss on a chance to practice."

"If you two were as diligent with your homework you wouldn't worry so much." Hermione replied matter-of-factly.

Ron completely ignored what Hermione said and began discussing Quidditch with Harry. Jess laughed as Hermione muttered something under her breath. _So much for a lively chat at dinner,_ she mused while quietly eating her food. Once Jess was done eating she walked to the next table over which was Ravenclaw. With a light tap on her friends shoulder, Jess got Rachel's attention.

Rachel turned around and looked at her. "Hey!" She scooted to the left and put enough distance between her and Padma so Jess could sit. With a smile, Jess sat down between the two. "So, when were you going to tell me about you and Harry?" Rachel whispered in her ear.

"Oh, yeah about that." With each word Jess grew quieter. "I meant to tell you when I told Ginny, but then she didn't take it well. The next morning was the mishap in Transfiguration that landed Ron in the infirmary."

"Its okay Jess, I'm not mad." She smiled at her. "So, how's dating Harry Potter?"

"Its great Rachel! I never thought I'd be dating one of my best friends, but I'm glad I am! He's very sweet and wants this to work as much as I do."

"That's great! I'm glad everything is working out for you two. How have your other friends taken the news?"

"Hermione was very understanding. Ginny, I knew she would be upset but she didn't stay that way for long. Ron on the other hand had a bit of a fit. I straightened him out though. He's fine now."

"I've noticed you're always the one setting him straight."

"Not necessarily, Harry does a lot of the time too. Occasionally Hermione does as well. Do I need to remind you of the incident at Halloween?"

Rachel started laughing as she thought back to Halloween night. Hermione had become so fed up with Ron, that she sicked a flock of birds on him. The look on his face while dodging the sharp pointy beaks was hysterical. "He deserved it."

"Well I know he did. It just goes to show you that Hermione isn't as predictable as she seems."

"Yeah, I guess Ron found that out the hard way. I mean I knew she always had the potential. I just didn't think she'd actually do something like that."

"Neither did Harry or I. Ginny either for that matter. Hey, I was wondering if you'd like to join us at Hogsmeade this weekend."

Rachel's face lit up with a grin. "I'd love to! What time?"

"I think we're all going to meet up there around ten. I'll let you know if anything changes."

"Okay, that sounds good. If I don't hear from you I'll assume that we're meeting up at ten. Um, where exactly in Hogsmeade are we meeting up?"

Jess laughed lightly. "You know I don't know. How about the Three Broomsticks?"

"Alright, that works."

"I better go and tell the others what we've come up with." Jess smiled and stood up. "I'll see ya later."

"Alright, bye Jess!"

Jess walked back over to her friends at the Gryffindor table. "We're going to meet up with Rachel at the Three Broomsticks at ten. I think I'm going to go and work on our Transfiguration essay in the library. See ya later."

Hermione stood up as well. "I'll come with you." She grabbed her things and the pair left for the library.

Friday morning rolled around and everyone was looking forward to Hogsmeade the next day. But for some, today was going to be a very long day. Hermione woke up and headed for the showers. Once she was done Hermione spent the next fifteen minutes battling her hair. She came out of the bathroom with her bushy mane untamed. It had obviously won this round. Hermione walked over to her trunk and produced a hair tie. In the last crucial seconds of the battle, Hermione had come out the victor with her rambunctious hair back in a pony tail. She walked over to Jess' bed where she saw her wrapped up in her blankets. How Jess' sheet managed to be on top of her comforter marveled Hermione as she lightly shook Jess. "Hey Jess?" Jess emitted a soft noise. Well at least she was alive. "Jess?" Hermione repeated louder. After a few seconds, Jess stirred and opened her eyes.

She looked around the room with blurry vision, until she focused on Hermione's face. "What?" Jess asked groggily while sitting up.

"Class is going to start in half an hour." Replied Hermione while looking down at Jess.

"Oh. Thanks." She rose out of her bed and walked over to her trunk. "I'll see you in class 'Mione."

"But aren't you going to come to breakfast?" She watched her pick out her uniform and head to the bathroom.

"Nah, I don't eat much at breakfast anyways. But I'll be down in time for Hagrid's class."

"Okay… See you soon." Hermione collected her textbooks and parchment before heading out the door.

Classes went by rather uneventfully. Since the accident in Transfiguration, Neville questioned his every move in classes, except Herbology of course. He felt even more nervous during Potions that day. He could feel Snape waiting for him to mess up and then seal his fate with a life supply of detentions, or worse, getting kicked out of Hogwarts. It was that fear that kept Neville in line. His grandmother would not be pleased to hear that he got kicked out. And she could be as scary as Snape.

Dinner finally rolled around the corner and the golden group was not all in attendance. The boys, plus Ginny were outside practicing Quidditch, which left Jess and Hermione to occupy themselves. Hermione was anxious for the Arithmancy test they had on Wednesday and had her nose in the book. Jess figured she'd start studying Saturday after Hogsmeade or on Sunday morning. She knew that she wouldn't get much done on a Friday night. Jess looked around the table and noticed Parvati nearby. "Hey, Parvati."

"Oh hey Jess." The dark haired girl responded.

"How has your term been going?"

"Quite well actually. That Halloween party was fantastic!"

"You mean Seamus didn't try and murder you throughout the night?"

Parvati laughed, "No, he actually hid most of the night."

"I don't see why he came then. Maybe he felt obligated to prove his manliness while being dressed up as a ballerina."

"That would be. Are you looking forward to Hogsmeade this weekend?"

"Yeah I really am. It'll be the first time Harry and I don't have to sneak around."

"How is that going? I mean you and Harry."

"Its fantastic, Parvati. We're both really happy with how everything is turning out."

"Glad to hear it, Jess. Well I had better go. Padma and I were going to meet up tonight." Parvati stood from the table. "I'll see you around." She then left to meet up with her twin sister.

Jess resumed eating her dinner quietly. What was she going to do tonight is she wasn't going to do her homework? After a couple minutes she came up with an answer. "Hey Hermione?"

The bushy haired bookworm looked up from her Arithmancy book. "Yeah Jess?"

"I was wondering if you would want to go and visit Hagrid. We haven't in a while and you could use a break from your studying."

Hermione pondered over it for a couple minutes. "It had been a while since we've visited Hagrid, but I really need to study for our exam."

"Hermione, you of all people do not need to study, but fair enough. I'm going to head there then."

"Alright, I'll see you later then. Don't stay out too late though. We are meeting up early tomorrow at Hogsmeade."

"Yes 'Mione I remember." Jess stood and exited the Great Hall as the clock chimed seven o'clock. She stopped for a moment at the entrance to the Great Hall. "I think I'm going to go the long way back to the common room to grab Harry's invisibility cloak." With that Jess took a right and embarked on her journey.

Once she was gone for a few minutes another person stood and left the Great Hall. They had seen no of sign of Draco. _Good, he's finally minding his own business,_ Blaise thought as he walked out of the Great Hall. He hung a right as well, slipping behind the shadows and proceeding onward. This was his chance. It had finally arrived. After weeks of waiting and disappointment Zabini had to wait no further. Potter and the two Weasley's were outside and Granger had ditched her for a book. He hurried forward to make sure he could cut her off at the spot he had planned out.

Jess sauntered down the hall without a care in the world. She was anticipating seeing Hagrid. He was always fun to be around and he particularly cared about the four, sixth year Gryffindor's. When things had been rough in the past they always knew that they could confide in him. He really was a gentle giant, regardless of what anyone else said.

A soft rustling sound, sounded behind Jess as she walked down the hall. She stopped and turned around to see what it was.

Zabini had pulled out his wand. He gave it a quick flick and said. "Expelliarmus!"

Jess' wand flew out of her hand and into the shadows. He then stepped out, his sick grin plastered on his face. Jess paled on the spot. She stumbled back while saying, "You!"

"Me. Honestly Anderson, just because I've been quiet for the last couple weeks doesn't mean I gave up." He took another step forward and began to close the gap between them. As Jess looked like she was about to scream Zabini quickly shot off a spell. "Silencio!" Whatever noise that would have come out or her mouth was silenced, as Zabini smirked and walked over to her. He pointed his wand at her so she wouldn't try and run.

Jess continued to back up regardless until she felt the cool brick wall up against her back. She was trapped and she knew it. There was nothing she could do.

"I've been waiting for this moment long enough." Zabini pinned her to the wall while casting her wand odd onto the other side of the hall. He didn't need to worry about it anymore. No one came down this hall after classes were done for the day; it was just him and her. A demented smile was on his face. "You should consider yourself lucky that someone with your status is getting my attention." He touched her cheek with his free hand. Jess swatted it away which made Zabini dig his fingernails into her wrist. "Behave mudblood; this won't hurt, too much." Jess tried all that she could to get away; she kicked and screamed though no noise came out due to Zabini's spell. She got him in the shin, which resulted in a hard slap across her face. "I said behave!" He ground his hips into hers and grabbed both of her hands with one hand, while the other removed her tie. Jess began to cry crystal tears as she tried to further get away, Zabini who had, had enough of her fighting back, bashed her head into the wall. Jess began to fall to the floor, but Zabini held her up. She fought off the impending darkness for as long as she could, knowing full well that if she gave into it he would have his way with her. Blood began to drip down the back of her head and landed on her white shirt. She was still in her uniform which she cursed now since she was wearing a skirt. Jess felt a painful prick at her neck to see that Zabini was kissing her there and biting her hard enough to draw blood. The last thing she remembered was the slimy feeling Zabini running his hand up her thigh before passing out.

"Enough Greengrass!" Draco shouted while sitting up straighter on the Slytherin common room couch. Astoria had decided that since everyone else was at dinner, now was the time for a good snog. But ever since Draco and Astoria had been seen by Potter and Anderson, Draco dreaded being alone with her. He stood up and ran a hand through his light blonde hair. "Why don't we go to dinner instead?" He suggested, hoping she'd comply.

Astoria sighed and stood up. "Alright, let me go put my cloak away." She walked up to the girl's dormitory and to Draco's relief he was alone.

Draco headed up to his room to put his cloak away as well, when he felt something. It felt like a sharp pain in his head. Draco stopped his assent up the stairs and leaned against the wall. He took a couple deep breaths before taking another step forward, but he never placed his foot back down. It hung there in the air like in suspended animation. Something was wrong, and he knew it. It was surprising that by his reaction he knew what. "She's fine." He assured himself. "Scarhead's got everything in control." But as he continued his climb up the stairs he felt uneasy. He stood at the open door for several minutes before turning, and running down the stairs. _The cloak might come in handy_, he thought while running past Astoria. She blinked and started after him but was no match for the sudden surge of adrenaline Draco received. "Damn it!" He shouted to himself. "I should have known it was a trick! Damn!" He continued to run down the halls that now proved to be like a maze. Where could they be? His mind was racing, thoughts flying by in his mind as he ran aimlessly.

Harry had decided to let his team off early. They headed back to the Gryffindor tower to get changed. He then walked down with Ginny and Ron to the Great Hall. At the entrance they saw a head of vibrant blonde hair running towards them. To Harry's surprise it was Malfoy. Malfoy stopped for a moment and looked at them.

Draco stopped and noticed that Jess wasn't with the trip. She was in trouble. He then ran off past them to the right as fast as he could.

"What was that about?" Ginny asked while watching Draco's retreating form.

"Beats me. We probably don't want to know what he's doing." Harry said while opening the door. He spotted Hermione still with her nose in the book. The three sat down next to her. "Hermione, where's Jess?" He asked right away.

"She left about a half an hour ago to go see Hagrid. She said she was stopping off at your room to grab your invisibility cloak first."

Harry looked taken aback. "Hermione, my invisibility cloak is still in my room."

This got her attention. She looked up from her book. "What?"

"Its still there. It was five minutes ago."

"Oh, that's odd."

Harry stood at once. "I'm going to go and find her." He left the Great Hall.

Draco slid into the shadows as he ran. He stopped and quietly walked ahead. There they were and it was just as he feared. Zabini was finally working on removing Jess' top. The first button was undone and he was struggling with the next one. Luckily all of her clothes were still on. Draco felt his blood boil over as he yelled. "Expelliarmus!" Zabini's wand flew towards him, with the suddenness of Draco, Zabini ripped the button he was working on off. Jess was startled awake and tried to push Zabini away. He let her go and she fell to her knees. Zabini made way to Jess' wand.

Draco noticed it and said. "Accio Jess' wand." The wand flew just out of Zabini's reach and over to Draco. He looked over at Jess and saw how terrible she looked. Draco looked back over at Zabini with all the hatred he had bottled up inside him. "Jess, can you walk?"

Once Zabini had been disarmed her voice had come back. "I think so." She said feebly. Jess stood up slowly.

"Come over here." He said calmly while staring down Zabini, wand extended, pointing at Zabini.

Jess shakily took a step forward and didn't fall over. She looked at Draco and then at Zabini. Draco was looking at Zabini with an all hell bent look to kill him. It was terrifying. Draco looked at her and immediately his face softened. "Come here Jess. I won't hurt you."

She nodded and slowly made her way over. Her last few steps were at a run and she tightly hugged Draco as she let her tears spill down her face. Draco took his cloak and wrapped it around her. He put his left arm around her protectively. He then looked back at Zabini. "Don't even think of looking at her again you scum." He spat out. Draco then flicked his wand. "Crucio!" His face was hard as ice as he watched Zabini fall to the floor while twisting and convulsing, howling in pain.

"Draco stop!" Jess yelled out as she saw the horrible sight.

Draco dropped his arm to his side and looked at Jess. "Alright, but why? Its what he deserves."

"Please Draco, enough harm has been done." She said while shaking.

He nodded and pocketed his wand. Draco then took his right arm and draped it across her. "I'm sorry Jess. I could have stopped this."

Jess looked up at him surprised. "This isn't your fault. Don't blame yourself for what he has done."

"I knew it all along, Jess; I knew he was after you. I should have told the professors. I should have told you!" Draco exclaimed, feeling guilty that he had let this happen when he had said he wouldn't.

She looked at him shocked. "Draco I… How could you have known?"

"I figured it out and made sure he didn't succeed." He replied somberly. "Until, now when he had me pushed up against a wall. I couldn't keep watching over you. He was going to tell my father."

Tears began to prick at Jess' eyes once more. "You were watching over me?"

He nodded, "But I failed, I let this happen to save myself."

Jess felt something that she never thought she could have. She felt a strong sense of gratitude for the Slytherin boy. No longer could she say she hated him because that would be a lie. Jess hugged him tighter and buried her face in his chest. "Thank you." She felt so safe in his strong arms. Never before had she felt so comfortable in someone's loving arms, not even Harry's.

Draco smiled down at her and stroked her hair. When he pulled his hand away he saw blood. Worry etched on his face as he held her at arms length and looked into her emerald eyes. "We need to get you to the hospital wing." Draco gently picked her up and carried her in his arms. He could feel her shaking from the trauma of what had happened. Zabini would pay. Draco decided to keep Zabini's wand for now, and decided to feed it to the Whomping Willow as a snack later. But for now all his concentration was on Jess, and making sure she was alright. He ran to the infirmary as fast as he could.

Madam Pomfrey gasped when she was the pair. "What happened?!"

"A fellow student attacked her for her 'goods'." Draco said bitterly and set her down on a bed.

Madam Pomfrey was red in the face with anger. "Who was it? Who was the young man that did this?!"

"Blaise Zabini. You'll find him by the Transfiguration room lying on the floor."

"And you found her?"

Draco nodded. "Yes I did."

"Please go and get Dumbledore as well as professor Snape and professor McGonagall for me, Mr. Malfoy."

He hesitated, not wanting to leave Jess alone. Draco knew that once he left everything would go back to the way it was before. They it had to be, where they never associated with each other, unless it was Draco berating her. He didn't want it to be that way, not after all they had gone through. At the very least Draco hoped they could be civil towards one another after this. Madam Pomfrey yelled at him to get a move on and he was off. Draco raced down the halls. He had to find three members of the staff. It was obvious as to which one Draco would seek out first. He ran to the only office he knew out of the three rather well. A loud knock on the door signaled his arrival.

Footsteps were heard approaching the door from the other side. After a minute, professor Snape was in plain sight. He looked Draco up and down with an arched eyebrow. "Yes, Draco?"

Draco let himself catch his breath for a moment before speaking. "Madam Pomfrey needs you urgently in the hospital wing, as well as Dumbledore and professor McGonagall."

Snape shut his door. A minute later he emerged from his room. "Do you know where the headmaster's office is?"

Draco nodded. "I don't know the password though, sir."

"Licorice-wands, now go."

He committed the password to memory as he ran down the hall. It took Draco record time to reach the gargoyle statue that blocked the way to Dumbledore's office. Draco never thought in his life he would be so glad to see the old wizard. Today he was proved wrong as he shouted at the gargoyle with urgency. "Licorice-wand!" The status leapt back and Draco ran up the auto-moving staircase. It proved to be too slow for his tastes in light of the situation. Draco knocked on the door. "Headmaster? Madam Pomfrey needs you at once in the…" Draco was cut off by the door opening and Dumbledore stepping out.

There was a soft twinkle in Dumbledore's blue orbs as he looked at Draco. "Thank you, Mr. Malfoy for alerting me. I shall head down there at once." He passed Draco and began down the stairs. "Er… Sir?" Draco asked while following him down.

"Yes, Draco?"

"May I come with you?"

"I suppose why not." He smiled at Draco, who felt relieved that the headmaster was allowing him to. It would save him the effort he would have exerted trying to sneak in on his own. They walked down the hall to the hospital wing quickly.

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And there is chapter 43! Well, what did you all think?! I personally love that one. And here we go with the author's note. For starters, some of you have not told me who you want between Fred and Snape. If you've told me already, in chapter 42, don't tell me again, that means you FireAdamant... Also, since I have updated twice in two days I think its only fair that you guys review. So here is the deal, I'm not going to update until I get 15 reviews. That's right 15, and I mean 15 for this chapter. I think we can handle that since I know I have some new people reading this so I think we can do that! So I don't how long that is going to take. You guys decide that! So, I'll see you whenever those reviews come in, oh and it you haven't please review last chapter. :D


	44. The After Math

Hello everyone I am back! Well I have some great news! It looks like we got to the 15 review goal! Well, actually over but thats even better! I've been really busy so Im surprised I was actually able to type this out and put it up. I know this chapter is a little slow, but hey there was a lot of action in the last one. Don't worry though, there's enough stuff to keep you interested, the interest isn't dieing away. So, without further delay here is the next chapter. I do not own Harry Potter.

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Harry walked down the hall at his normal pace. _Jess probably just made a quick stop at the library_, he thought while continuing walking. Harry tripped and fell flat on his face because he hadn't been looking where he was going. His glasses went flying and landed two feet away from him. "Accio glasses." The glasses flew over to Harry's hand where they came to rest. Harry put them back on and noticed the obstruction that caused him to fall over, Blaise Zabini. He blinked and slowly rose from his spot on the floor. Zabini? Why was he on the floor? Upon closer inspection he looked to be in pain. Harry stood there and debated whether he should do something or not. Remembering that he was slightly worried where Jess had disappeared to, Harry decided against it and left the Slytherin lying there. He hadn't noticed the discarded Gryffindor tie by the wall. Harry continued down the hall and stopped at the library. He went down everyone aisle and checked out every table to see if she was there. After searching the entire library Harry still had not seen Jess. He quickly left and went up to the Gryffindor common room. Maybe she was in her room, but how would he know? He couldn't go up to the girl's dormitory. Harry looked around for one of her roommates. Luckily he saw Lavender Brown. "Lavender!" Harry shouted while springing over to her.

The brown haired girl looked at him surprised. "Yes Harry?"

"I was wondering if you've seen Jess up in your room."

"Um, no I haven't not since this morning."

"You're sure and you're not just saying that because you're mad at us because you and Ron didn't work?"

Lavender looked at him angrily. "No I'm not! I haven't seen her recently. How dare you say that!" She stomped up to her room. A few minutes later Parvati Patil came down.

Harry walked over to her. "Parvati? Is Jess up in your room?"

"No, she isn't. The last time I saw her way during class."

"Oh, alright, thanks." He ran up to his room and grabbed his invisibility cloak, put it on and ran over to Hagrid's.

Dumbledore and Draco walked into the hospital wing to see a fuming professor McGonagall. She was animatedly talking with professor Snape about the lack of decent conduct when it came to his houses students. "That's enough Minerva." Dumbledore calmly said while walking up.

Professor McGonagall quieted down and turned around to see the headmaster. "Albus, never before have we had a student act like this."

"I know Minerva. We have truly been blessed, but now we have to deal with the problem so that it won't happen again."

"If you noticed Albus that this came from Severus' house. He hasn't been disciplining and steering them in the right direction. Maybe this is partly his fault."

Snape looked at professor McGonagall icily. He took a step forward and replied in a dangerously low tone. "I did not teach my students to act like animals."

"Now Minerva, before we make this into a house rivalry we must remember who brought in Miss. Anderson." Dumbledore calmly responded. Snape and McGonagall looked over to Draco who was standing over by Jess' bed and watched her sleep in her bed. He paid no attention to the bickering banter of the professors.

A warm smile came over McGonagall's face. "You're right Albus; it must just be the one student. Although I did not expect Mr. Malfoy to be the one to bring her in, I expected when I heard she had been attacked that he might have been the one to do it. But I guess I was wrong. What do you think made him come to her rescue?"

"I think it was a good decision on our part to pair Miss. Anderson and Mr. Malfoy for the parenting project. We accomplished the goal we had set out to reach, bringing the house closer together in unity. Mr. Malfoy was one of the most opposed to the idea. To have swayed Draco in the least bit we have done a great deed." He explained while looking over at the pair. The three professors walked over to where Draco stood. Dumbledore placed a hand on Draco's shoulder. "Thank you Draco, for taking such action and bringing Miss. Anderson here."

Draco nodded and turned to face the three professors. "Please do not tell anyone that I was here."

"Why ever not?" Professor McGonagall asked confused. "Don't you want to be credited for what you have done?"

"No" Draco replied. He looked at Dumbledore. "Its important no one knows that it was me."

Snape nodded and placed a hand on Draco's shoulder. "Of course Draco, we understand. You may leave it you want to."

He nodded but didn't want to leave. But sooner or later Draco knew that scarhead and company would come running through the doors. It was the best idea for him that he left now. Draco looked over at Jess slumbering peacefully one more time before heading to the door.

"Draco?" Dumbledore asked, interrupting the silence.

Draco turned and faced the headmaster. "Yes?"

"Where did you say Blaise Zabini was?"

"He's lying on the floor by the Transfiguration room."

"Why is he laying there" questioned McGonagall.

Draco froze in his spot. At the heat of the moment he hadn't cared that he had used an unforgivable curse on Zabini. But now that everything was said and done, Draco couldn't say he had the same disregard for the rules. He looked at the three professors and said as calmly as he could. "I used an unforgivable curse."

Professor McGonagall looked shocked and professor Snape merely nodded. He knew that Draco having grown up with Lucius as a father that he was fully capable of using the dark spells. Snape wasn't sure that Draco had used them before so he did find it slightly surprising. "Which curse?" Professor McGonagall managed to utter out.

"The torture curse." Draco replied as it nothing had happened. Well, as least he hadn't killed Zabini, though he had wanted to. Possibly this way his sentence at Azkaban would be much lighter.

"Mr. Malfoy you know that wasn't how you should have acted." McGonagall began to grill him for his wrong doings.

"I know that professor, but I couldn't help it."

"You couldn't help it?"

"Yes."

"And what do you mean by that?"

"I meant what I said. I couldn't help it." Draco then opened the doors and left to go back to the Slytherin house.

McGonagall rounded on her two colleagues. "What did he mean by he couldn't help it?"

"I think" Dumbledore offered, "that Draco took pity on Miss. Anderson. To see her treated like that sent Mr. Malfoy over the edge and made him want to cause Mr. Zabini as much pain as he possibly could without killing him."

"But that doesn't make any sense Albus." She responded back.

"And why is that Minerva?"

"You know as well as I that the Malfoy family hate muggle-born witches and wizards. Why would he stop what was happening to Miss. Anderson? She is a muggle-born witch after all."

"I stay with my theory Minerva. Perhaps the project made Mr. Malfoy realize that muggle-born witches and wizards aren't terrible as Lucius probably said they were."

She nodded, though not thoroughly convinced. "Then I have one other question about our talk with Draco."

"Go for it." He offered with a smile.

"Albus, why did Draco not want anyone to know that he was the one that saved Miss. Anderson?"

"I believe I will answer this one. "Professor Snape interjected while making him known.

"Do enlighten us Severus." Dumbledore urged cheerfully.

"It has all to do with the upbringing Draco has had. Mainly it has all to do with his father Lucius. I have known Draco since he was a small child, meaning I have been around Lucius as well. As soon as Draco could comprehend ideas Lucius began to instruct Draco on who to associate with and who not to associate with. The punishments Draco would suffer if he associated with the 'wrong' people were quite severe. That being said, Draco never questioned what Lucius told him was right and wrong. Now these rules still apply to Draco today. In Lucius' regards Miss Anderson is one of those people Draco should not be caught dead associating with. Draco not only associated with Miss Anderson, he saved her from great physical harm, which is something Lucius would be irate about. The reason Draco doesn't want anyone to know it was him that saved her is because he wants to protect himself. Draco fully is awake of what awaits him if his father finds out." Snape concluded with a grim expression.

"Oh my! Isn't there something we can do about this, Albus? Lucius Malfoy cannot get away with this!" McGonagall spoke up.

"I'm afraid not Minerva The only way we could step in is if Draco admitted to what Lucius has done to him in the past. But we all know he will not do that out of fear of what Lucius would do to him once everything was said and done." Dumbledore looked over at professor McGonagall who looked like she was about to cry. "Let us figure out what happened to Miss Anderson shall we?" He suggested while walking over to Madam Pomfrey.

She looked at the trio. "I'm glad you all came. Luckily nothing severe happened to her. A few open bite marks and a rather nasty bump on the back of her head. The bleeding had stopped from the wound on the back of her head. She was pretty rattled when she came in, Albus. I gave her a calming draught so she's asleep now. The poor dear, she probably doesn't feel safe walking around alone the school halls anymore, which is something, she should feel comfortable doing." Madam Pomfrey looked over at the presumably sleeping girl.

"When will she be able to be released?" McGonagall asked quietly.

"I would like to keep her overnight. The back of her head is still pretty sensitive. I know this is a Hogsmeade weekend but I'm not sure if I'd want to go if I were her. I'll most likely release her in the middle of the afternoon tomorrow."

A few minutes later the doors of the hospital wing swung wide open. The raven haired boy saw the professors congregated together and looked confused. His green eyes moved from them to the girl lying in the bed. "Jess!" Harry exclaimed while running over. He slipped his hand into hers. "What happened?" Hs asked while looking up at Dumbledore in particular.

Dumbledore looked at Harry with a comforting smile. "She is alright, Harry. There was a bit of an accident earlier on this evening."

"An accident? What kind of accident?"

"One of your fellow students attacked Miss Anderson."

"Attacked?!" Harry looked at the headmaster with widened eyes. "Why would someone attack Jess, professor? She's done nothing wrong."

"Ah, but I never said it had to do with her doing something wrong."

"What do you mean, sir?"

"She was attacked because of how she is."

"You mean a muggle-born witch?" Harry had no idea where he was going with this.

"Not exactly."

"Then what?! Stop playing mind games with me and tell me what happened to my girlfriend!" Harry snapped at the headmaster.

Dumbledore looked sadly at the pair of teenagers. "Miss Anderson was attacked because of her looks."

"Her looks? But she's gorgeous."

"That was my point, Harry." Dumbledore replied while watching Harry.

It was like a light clicked in his mind. Someone attacked Jess because she was so beautiful, which meant it had to be a guy that attacked her. Harry was enraged as he thought of some slimy creep trying to kiss her. "Who was it?" Harry replied in a voice filled with anger. "Who was it?!"

Professor McGonagall looked alarmed at the way Harry was acting. But what did she expect? One of his best friends, not to mention his girlfriend was attacked by one of his hormonal fellow classmates. Dumbledore calmly answered Harry's question. "It was a Slytherin boy in your year, Blaise Zabini."

The instant Harry heard the word Slytherin escape from Dumbledore's mouth he bristled. He could feel one of his veins bulge on his forehead when he heard who did it. "I'll kill him!" Harry yelled while standing.

"Harry, I think should listen to what else I have to say." Dumbledore commented, trying to ease the boy.

"There's more?" He asked, still hell bent on murdering Zabini.

"Yes, there is. Now if you would sit back down I will tell you."

Harry reluctantly sat back down in the chair next to Jess' bed. "Go on." He replied quickly.

"Another one of your fellow classmates saw this happening and stopped Mr. Zabini and brought Miss. Anderson here."

"Who was it?"

"They would prefer to remain disclosed."

"Why is that? They saved Jess!"

"I know Harry, but I am called to respect the individual's wishes."

Harry sighed and looked over at Jess lying there. "I'm so sorry this happened to you Jess. It never should have. I'll make sure nothing like this ever happens again. I should have been the one to save you." He looked at her with tears in his eyes.

This is when the professors decided to leave. A few minutes later Hermione, Ron and Ginny came running in. Hermione gasped and covered her mouth as tears began to fill her eyes. "What happened?" She managed to choke out.

Harry told them everything that Dumbledore had told him. Ron stood up and promised Harry that he would help him beat the living crap out of Zabini next time they saw him. This gave Harry a little comfort as he slightly smiled. Once Hermione got over the initial shock of what happened and Harry telling his tale, she went over to Madam Pomfrey to see when Jess would be released.

"She'll be released sometime in the later afternoon tomorrow dear. Don't feel like you have to miss out on Hogsmeade. She'll probably be released around the time you all get back. Do enjoy yourselves at Hogsmeade." Madam Pomfrey offered warmly.

Hermione nodded and went back over to her friends. "She won't be released in time to go to Hogsmeade with us tomorrow."

"I'm going to go and get her something at Hogsmeade." Harry replied as it to answer Hermione's next question before she could ask it.

"Good idea, Harry. I'll go and meet up with Rachel and tell her what happened before joining you and picking something out for her" Ginny replied.

"If you four plan to go to Hogsmeade I suggest you all get to bed." Madam Pomfrey commented while walking over.

The four of them reluctantly stood and went to leave. Harry placed a kiss on Jess' forehead. "We'll be back tomorrow, sleep well." He smiled at her and the four left the hospital wing.

Madam Pomfrey then turned out the lights for the night and went into her office. Only when the lights were off did Jess open her eyes. She had been awake for a good portion of the many conversations but just didn't want to be bombarded with questions if what exactly happened. She felt bad enough having lived through it once, Jess didn't want to re-live the experience a half-dozen more times until everyone knew precisely what happened. Jess was grateful that when Draco had some to her rescue that he didn't ask her a bunch of questions about what happened.

Draco… He was proving to be different with time. It was odd but Jess had sort off felt relieved that he came to her rescue instead of Harry or Ron. That was probably because she knew they would freak out way too much and do something that they would regret later on. Draco had kept a level head the majority of the time until he used the Cruiatus curse. What she found more confusing is that he stopped when she told him to.

Draco then had brought her to the hospital wing. She had taken a quick peek out of her eye when she knew no one was looking to see that Draco had stayed a good majority of the time, even when her friends could have burst in at any second. It made her smile that he had stuck around to figure out if she was okay.

Her attitude changed when she heard Snape answer one of McGonagall's questions. Draco had risked the wrath of his father to save her. She remembered how scared Draco was when he had thought Lucius had made a surprise visit to their room they shared together at that point in the middle of the night. Jess was well aware of how terrible of a man Lucius was. And to think that Draco had only that as a father was saddening. He would never know how a true father treated their son. He would never experience the loving relationship that was supposed to be there, the kind that would do anything for his son. Instead he would always be fearful of doing the wrong thins and getting punished unjustly for it. Jess wouldn't be surprised the only reason Draco was still alive was because Lucius needed an heir. _I will never know what he goes through, but I can assume its not good. I wish there was some way it could be changed, he doesn't deserve to be treated like a piece of meat,_ Jess thought to herself as tears began to brim at her eyes. In light of all that he still made sure she was safe, when he was the one that deep down needed saving. She ended up crying herself back to sleep over the blonde Slytherin.

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Well chapter 44 is up now. Its hard to believe I have 44 chapters up already, but no worries there is more where that comes from! I'd like to thank everyone for reviewing last time! Now if we can do that every chapter! I don't have much else to say except that I'm not sure when the next chapter is going to be up, since I still am busy but hopefully it will be soon. I think this was in a timely fashion. That's all for now. As always PLEASE REVIEW!


	45. Saturday Afternoon

Hello everyone and welcome to chapter 45! Chapter forty-five, wow... Anyways, before we get this whole party started I would like to thank everyone who has thus far reviewed! I mean when I started putting this story online I honestly didn't think I would have 376 reviews, and I'm not even done yet! As for how much longer this story is going to be, I haven't a clue. I'd expect at least another ten chapter after this, maybe twenty, I really don't know. Since I'm still in the process of writing it, I can't really tell you hwo much more there is going to be. I will tell you this though, is that with what I have written, I'm finally getting somewhere close to the end. You'll just have to tune in and figure out how and when it will though. Rest assured, it won't be for sometime though. Well, I think everyone will like this one quite a bit. So, enjoy! And I don't own Harry Potter.

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Bright and early the next morning Jess woke up to the familiar face of her boyfriend hovering over hers. "Hey Harry." She responded with a smile. The pair softly kissed. Jess sat up afterwards and saw most of her friends gathered there before her. "Where's Rachel?"

"She hasn't heard the news yet" Ginny replied. "I'm going to tell her when we get to Hogsmeade."

"Oh, well have extra fun for me."

"We will Jess. The only reason we're going is to bring back something for you." Hermione coined in with a smile.

"Guys you don't have to do that. I'm fine, I really am!"

"We want to Jess, so don't worry about it. We'll be back later." Harry gave her another quick kiss and the four of them left.

Jess sighed and looked around the room for Madam Pomfrey. "At least this gives me an excuse for not wanting to go. I wish I could get out of here though."

"You will be soon enough dear." Said Madam Pomfrey who walked over with a tray of bacon and eggs for her. She sat it down on her lap. "Anything else I can get you?"

"If I eat all of this can I leave?"

Madam Pomfrey ticked and shook her head. "You might be able to leave a little earlier."

"The earlier the better." Jess responded as she began eating. Ten minutes later her tray was cleared. "Can I go now?"

"I'm afraid not." Madam Pomfrey came over with a couple of bottles. She opened the first one and a purple liquid came out. She handed her a medicine cup full of it. "Drink all of this."

Jess took it and did as she was told. The potion tasted terrible and she chased it down with a large gulp of water. "That was disgusting!"

"Potions usually never taste good, but that will help to reduce pain, especially in the back of your head. Can I ask what happened that you got that gash?"

Jess sighed, figuring she should probably tell the one that is treating her. "Zabini bashed the back of my head into the wall."

"Oh my! What a terrible child!"

"Yes, I know that first hand."

Madam Pomfrey opened the other bottle and a red liquid came out. She handed her another miniature cup. "This one doesn't taste as bad as the other one."

"I would sure hope not." Jess looked at it for a moment before downing that one as well. Just like Madam Pomfrey had said this one was nowhere near as dreadful, but it didn't exactly taste like candy. Jess handed her back the empty cups. "Can I go now?"

"I'd like those to kick in before you go anywhere."

"Alright." Jess sighed and sat around, waiting for the potions to take effect as Madam Pomfrey bustled around taking care of her other patients.

Jess had never stayed in the hospital wing long. Her longest stay was for a couple days back at the end of third year. But luckily she had Ron to keep her company, who had broken a leg. How Harry and Ron kept landing themselves in the hospital wing Jess would never know. Nor would she know how they stomached their extended stays. Jess was already itching to get out of these as soon as she could. She couldn't imagine spending a week in there like both boys had in the past. Jess was surprised they still had a bit of sanity left intact.

A few hours went by and at noon Madam Pomfrey brought Jess a tray for lunch. "Thanks, but can I eat in the Great Hall?" Jess asked while looking up at her.

Madam Pomfrey looked at her. "How do you feel?"

"I feel fantastic! Can I go?"

"I suppose you can if you can walk around without any assistance."

Jess stood up slowly and began to walk around the room with no difficulty. "Can I go then?"

"Yes you may."

Jess practically ran out of the room and down the hall. She stopped short of the Gryffindor tower, remembering that all her friends were at Hogsmeade. A soft sigh left her lips as she wished she could be there as well. "I'll just go outside then." Jess walked up to the portrait of the Fat Lady.

"Good to see you dear." The Fat Lady said to her. "But why didn't you return last night?"

"Had a run in with some trouble. I'm fine now. Dilligrout." Jess said the password before the Fat Lady could get any more details out of her. She was known to be quite the gossiper. The Fat Lady huffed and the door swung open.

Just as Jess had thought, the common room was filled with first and second years, since they were not allowed to go to Hogsmeade. They looked up at her in awe. It was the price Jess paid for being Harry's friend and girlfriend. She had become quite the celebrity over the last few years. She smiled at the small students and went up to her room. Grabbing her cloak and scarf Jess put them both on. Her maroon and gold scarf was snuggly around her neck. She then left and went back down to the common room and out the door. Jess' wand was griped tightly in her hand as she walked down the hall, in case there was the slightest chance of Zabini jumping out at her. The stretch of hallway seemed like miles to her as she walked down it alone. When Jess reached the end she felt relieved. She then walked down the steps and went outside.

Jess smiled as she saw fat snowflakes fall down from the heavens. It was the beginnings of a wintry wonderland. The snow lightly crunched under her feet as she walked further outside. She saw some of the first and second years from all four houses outside playing in the snow. As she continued to look around Jess noticed an older boy with hair almost as bright as the snow stick out like a sore thumb. Jess quickly walked over to him. "Draco?" She asked, her eyebrows knit together in confusion.

He held a handful of powdery snow in his hand, looking at it absent mindedly. When he heard someone call his name from behind him Draco turned to see who is was, though the voice gave it away. He still was nonetheless surprised to see it was her. Draco dropped the snow in his hand and looked at her. "Yes?"

"Why aren't you in Hogsmeade with everyone else?"

"Didn't feel like it." He responded truthfully.

"Oh I see." Jess fidgeted slightly in the snow.

"Did they just let you out?" Draco asked casually.

"Yeah they did. I had to fight Madam Pomfrey to let me out."

He smirked. "Why doesn't that surprise me?"

Jess looked at him, her eyebrow raised. "And what do you mean by that?"

"Nothing, except that her patients always fight her to get out earlier, myself included."

She couldn't help but laugh. "Madam Pomfrey needs to realize when to let a patient go."

"That she does." An awkward silence feel in between them, where Draco watched Jess as she shifted her weight from one foot to the other.

"Malfoy?" Jess said, finally breaking the silence.

Draco continued to look at her. "Yeah?"

"I just wanted to thank you again for all that you did for me yesterday. You by no means had to, but I'm grateful that you did." Jess looked up from her feet and into Draco's eyes while offering him a small smile.

"Don't mention it. Even I couldn't let that go." He waved it off as if it was nothing.

"I was wondering… Is there anything I can do to repay you?"

Draco looked at her slightly puzzled for a moment. Why would she be offering him a reward? He thought about it for a moment before asking. "When do you friends plan on coming back from Hogsmeade?"

"Um, I think around four. That's the time estimate Madam Pomfrey gave them that I'd be released. Why do you ask?"

He bit back a snide remark and simply said. "There's something you can do for me."

Jess nodded, not really expecting him to take the offer. Wait, who was she kidding? This was Draco Malfoy! He'd take any change to get something he wanted, especially when it was so easily given to him. Jess regretted asking him and dreaded what he was going to say. She closed her eyes and took a deep breath. When she reopened them she asked. "What can I do for you?"

What Draco said next was a complete shock to her. "I want you to spend the afternoon with me until scarhead and the weasel come back."

Jess blinked and looked up at him. "What?"

"Don't tell me I have to repeat myself."

"You don't but…"

"But what?"

"I wasn't expecting that."

"So that means no." He replied in a bit of a snappish tone.

"No it does not!" Jess exclaimed back.

"Then you accept my offer?"

She thought for a moment. "How about until three thirty, in case they decide to come back early."

Draco smirked, having got his way. "Fair enough."

An awkward silence occurred once again until Jess spoke up yet again. "Alright, what should we do?"

"Lets go inside, the little midgets are all out here."

"Alright, lead the way."

Draco started walking back towards the castle, Jess followed quickly behind him. He was right, the halls were deserted as most of the first and second years were either outside or in their common rooms. Draco led them up to the seventh floor where the room of requirement was located. He began to pace the stretch of hallway, on the third time a door appeared and Draco grabbed the handle. He opened the door and waited for Jess to come in. She slowly walked in and Draco followed her. The door clicked shut behind. Instead of the movie theatre the room had been last time Jess was in it, it now resembled a cozy study with plush leather chairs and many bookshelves. Jess sat down on the leather love seat and Draco opted for the black leather chair.

"So, what did you want to do in here?" Jess asked, curious as to what the Slytherin had in mind.  
Draco shrugged and looked at her. "Whatever you want is fine with me. We can talk if you want."

"What would we have to talk about? We're not exactly buddies."

"I know that Anderson." He fished out of his pocket a wand and placed it on the table.

"Is this so we don't decide to hex each other?" Jess looked over at him quizzically.

This got a snort of laughter from Draco. "I wouldn't let my guard down in front of you and have my wand leave my side. That's Zabini's wand."

Jess looked down at it. "Oh. You still have it from last night?"

He nodded. "If its here right on the table that would mean yes, wouldn't it?"

"No need to be sarcastic." Jess responded dryly. "I was just wondering why you still have it."

"I have plans for it."

"Oh?"

"I'm giving it to the Whomping Willow as a snack. Want to watch?"

If it had been anyone else's wand, except a rare few, Jess would have protested, but instead she laughed at the idea. "I'd love to."

A small smirk graced Draco's lips. "We'll do it right before you leave. How does that sound?"

"It sounds like the perfect ending."

"My thoughts exactly."

"Malfoy?"

He looked over at her. "Yes?"

"What happened to Zabini after we left him in the hall?"

Draco smirked again, this time in delight. "The professors were all outraged about what happened. Surprisingly the one that was the most irate was Snape."

"Snape?! No way!" Jess looked at Draco as though he had sprouted another head but it was a head of a giraffe.

"They were all very irate about the circumstance, but Snape was livid."

"How so?"

"The reason why I think is because the person that had committed the crime was from his house that he was in charge of. McGonagall blamed him for the events that happened."

"I didn't know that."

"You were asleep at the time.

"Oh. Go on."

"With?"

"Tell me what Snape did."

"Snape found Zabini unconscious in the hall and dragged him to his office. I had gone up to see the professor but when I got there all I could hear was Snape yelling at Zabini while giving him the longest lecture of his life. He now has detention every Saturday morning from seven to ten for the rest of the school year."

"Ouch, well he does deserve it."

"As well as he had one every other weekend on Sunday from noon to four until the Christmas holidays."

"That's only two of three though."

"Depending on how well Snape thinks those go, he might make them for the entire school year."

"I bet its going to take him forever to even think of stepping out of line again."

"Hopefully it will hold him off until Christmas holidays."

"Hold him off?"

"Zabini isn't known for following the rules.

"I see…"

"Does that surprise you?"

"No, not at all. Malfoy?"

"Yeah?"

"I just wanted to thank you again for saving me."

"Like I said before it was no problem."

"But I know you risked having your fa-"

"I don't want to drag any mention of him into this conversation." Draco said quickly, cutting her off.

"Do you think he will find out?" Jess asked, ignoring his request.

"For both of our sakes I hope he doesn't."

"Both of us?"

Draco nodded grimly. "He lets nothing get in the way of what he wants, even if it means ending someone's life."

She looked at him with disbelief. "I don't buy that for a second."

"You should so you're on your guard. I don't want you to learn the hard way."

"Alright, but I don't' think I'm in any danger."

"Everyone is in danger now, Anderson. If you haven't realized it, but the war is on our doorstep. I wouldn't be surprised if it was in full swing before the end of our seventh year."

"That soon? That's like a year away. I thought we could at least hold it off until we graduated."

"Don't be so sure of that. From what I've seen this past summer, its coming closer."

"Do you know what side you're siding with yet?" Hess asked while looking at him. There was a strong possibility that he would join Voldemort's side.

He shook his head. "No, not yet."

Jess looked at him puzzled. She thought for sure he'd say he would be joining Voldemort and become a death eater.

Draco noticed the uneasiness she had after he had given her his answer. He stood and grabbed Zabini's wand off the table. "Lets go and get rid of this." Draco suggested while looking over at her.

A good portion of her uneasiness washed away and Jess stood up. "Lets, I personally am looking forward to it."

Draco smirked and led the way out to the Whomping Willow. When they arrived the Whomping Willow was doing its normal things and trashing about. Jess had taken a couple steps too close and the Whomping Willow noticed the intrusion on its personal space and reacted. With quick thinking, Draco grabbed Jess around the waist and pulled her back as a loud smack sounded against the ground where she had been standing before. The force of the tree's limb hitting the ground caused the ground around it to shake as if there was a very mild earthquake within a thirty foot radius of the tree.

Jess blinked and looked up at Draco. "Thanks." She managed to force out. She looked back at the psychotic tree. "That was close."

"Too close. We're wiping out the existence of Zabini's wand off of the face of the earth, not you." Draco replied also looking at the tree. He then looked down at the pretty girl currently in his arms. _This is how it should be, _he thought. Draco never knew that someone could feel so perfectly placed in his arms. Astoria sure hadn't. Although he knew he'd have to let her go and she would go back to Potter, but he didn't want to let her go. Who said he had to? It was just the two of them out there, Potter wasn't back yet. Yet Draco knew he would be soon. So, he reluctantly let Jess go. "Would you like to throw it or should I?" He asked while holding the wand.

"You can if you want." Jess replied while looking at him.

He nodded and took aim. Draco then threw the wand as hard as he could. It landed in the tree on the lower branches. Five seconds later the tree began its assault on the little wooden stick. In a matter of seconds it was gone.

Jess watched the Whomping Willow make quick work of the wand. She then turned to Draco. "I should go. Harry, Ron and Hermione are going to be back soon."

"Yeah…" He responded half wishing he could throw Potter into the Whomping Willow and watch what would happen. But he knew that if he ever went through with it he would regret it, because it would upset Jess.

"I'll see ya around." Jess began walking back to the castle. When she was about ten feet away from Draco she turned back around. "Malfoy?"

Draco looked over at her. "Yeah?"

A soft smile crossed over her face. "Thanks. That really made me feel better." Jess then turned around and continued walking back to the castle.

Draco watched her the entire way. A small smirk was on his face as he quietly said to the air. "You're welcome."

About fifteen minutes later Jess ran into Harry, Ron, and Hermione who had just got back from Hogsmeade. Harry looked at Jess and smiled at her. "When did you get out of the hospital wing?"

"A few hours ago. I convinced Madam Pomfrey that I was fine."

Harry put his arm around her as the four walked down the hall and up to the Gryffindor tower. When they got there Jess was given many sweets and flowers from Harry. Hermione opted to give her a book on defensive spells. Jess thanked all of them for the gifts, but the greatest gift of all none of them could give her because it was already given to her by someone they would least expects. Draco Malfoy. To Jess the greatest gift was saving her from what Zabini had in mind for her. And for what Draco had done for her she could never repay him, but she would be eternally grateful for what he had done. It was odd but when Jess had saw Malfoy earlier that day, she was actually glad to see him, something that Jess never would have thought of before. Yet now when she saw him, he didn't make her skin crawl. Quite the contrary, it made her feel protected. More so than when she was with Harry, which made Jess wonder why that was. But she couldn't place her finger on it. The weird thing was that as more time passed the feeling became stronger, strong enough that she could no longer call him her enemy. She couldn't call him a friend either, because they most certainly weren't.

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Alright folks chapter 45 is up! Now, here is my challenge to all of you that read this. As I said before I have 376 reviews, that means 24 reviews short of 400. My chanllenge to you is that between this chapter and chapter 46, we make it to review number 400. I think you guys can do that, since thats only 12 per chapter. Maybe we can have a big party of something once we get there :D So please do review and hopefully that goal is accomplished! Also, I think Fred is in the lead. I'll have to go back and look at the previous reviews, but from what I remember, I think its Fred that has the most votes. It you have not voted yet don't think its too late! Give me your vote and let me know what you think, I must stress that if you already have voted you don't get to again. Well thats all for now! Please review! Until next chapter...-Jess


	46. COS

Hello everyone and welcome to chapter 46! It took me a while to come out with this one but I was quite busy this past Halloween weekend. Happy Halloween by the way! I hope everyone had fun. I was the Spanish Inquisition hahaha.... Anyways, I think its time for an update since there is 388 reviews. Sadly there isn't much Draco in this one, but it should be amusing enough. I don't own Harry Potter.

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The next couple weeks went by quickly. November soon faded and December began. The sudden reality that Christmas was around the corner had everyone in a bright and cheery mood. There was a light harmonious buzz around the school. Though, it didn't seem to affect some of the professors. The last few weeks were spent cramming as much information as possible into their classes. The teachers that were the worst that came to that were professor McGonagall and professor Snape. Snape was by far the worst. The weekend before the last week of the term was a Hogsmeade weekend. Some students were actually able to afford spending time in Hogsmeade and not study. Jess and Hermione were two of those people, but that was said easier than done. Jess practically had to drag Hermione there, claiming that this would be the only time they would get to shop for Christmas presents. Reluctantly Hermione agreed to go with her, Harry and Ron decided to go as well. The carriage ride there was spent listening to Ron and Hermione bicker.

"Ron you really need to study for our History of Magic and Defense Against the Dark Arts exams on Monday. I know you didn't do well on our last History of Magic exam! This last exam is worth twice as much!" Hermione argued with Ron.

"That's none of your business, Hermione! I'm doing just fine in History of Magic!" Ron defended himself.

"You're barely scraping by, Ronald!" The two continued to bicker when they had arrived. Harry and Jess decided to go out on their own and shop without them. They first went to Honeyduke's where Jess grabbed a small basket and began looking.

"My dad loves sweets. I've already gotten him licorice wands, cauldron cakes and pumpkin pasties before. What do you think I should get him Harry?" Jess asked him while in the middle of one of the aisles.

"How about chocolate frogs? Or maybe some Bertiebotts, every flavor jellybeans, though those sometimes can end up being pretty nasty." He remembered getting flavors like earwax and grass.

"He might enjoy the surprise factor of it. And he might find the fact that chocolate frog's jump, funny. Yeah that sounds like a good idea. Thanks Harry!" Jess grinned as she put a ton of sweets in her basket, some for herself as well as others. Harry bought some as well and then they left and went to some other shops. They walked into Zelda's jewelry Shoppe and Jess picked out a pair of Phoenix tear shaped earrings that each had a Phoenix tear in them for her mother. Jess and Harry then went to the book store as well as a couple other shops before heading to the Three Broomsticks. The pair sat down at a table in the middle of the room.

Madam Rosemerta walked over with the click of her heels. "Good afternoon you two, what can I get you?"

Jess looked up. "A butterbeer please."

"I'd like one as well" Harry replied. Madam Rosemerta nodded and left to go and get them.

"So Harry, what are you doing for Christmas?"

"I'm going to spend it at the Weasley's. Now that Ron and I are on good terms again. How about you Jess?"

"I'm going home like usual. My parents want to celebrate my birthday." Madam Rosemerta came with their drinks and then left.

"The thirty-first right?

"Yep, its nice to know that I share my birthday with Voldemort." She said sarcastically.

"You're nothing like Voldemort. He could never imagine what it would be like to be as perfect as you are."

"Well I wouldn't say perfect, though we are polar opposites."

"I wish I could see you on your birthday." Harry slid his hand over the table and grabbed hers.

"I wish you could too. But I'll see you not long after that." Jess reassured him.

He smiled as they began talking about other things. Once they were done with their Butterbeer's Harry and Jess grabbed all of their parcels and packages and left. Jess figured it would be wise if they left Hogsmeade early so that they could get some last minute studying done, as well as on Sunday.

Draco sat at a table in the Three Broomsticks with Crabbe, Goyle, Pansy, and Astoria. Crabbe and Goyle didn't say much and looked as dim as a rock. Pansy and Astoria bickered over which one of them Draco liked better. He snorted and listened in to the conversation at the table ahead of them, which Jess and Harry occupied. So Jess had the same birthday as Voldemort. That was interesting to say the least, when he hated all of the grief that Voldemort had brought, especially on his family. And then there was Anderson, the complete opposite of everything Voldemort meant. She was kind and loving, someone that could nurture and heal Draco from all of the wickedness that had happened in his life. She could save him from getting consumed in the path his father had set for him in stone. He could already feel the edges of the stone flaking off slowly because of her. Draco was snapped out of his thoughts as Pansy and Astoria began to fight on the floor in a heated slap match. Crabbe and Goyle egged them on as Madam Rosemerta came running over to pull them apart. Draco stood from his chair and left the dysfunction temporarily, wishing it was forever.

All of Sunday was spent studying by the students. The sixth years were just grateful that they had already taken their OWLS and didn't have to take their NEWTS until seventh year. The way Hermione was acting you could have swore that they were tomorrow. When Jess and Harry had gotten back on Saturday, they came back to Ron and Hermione not speaking to each other again. One of them must have gone too far in their row about studying. Jess' guess was that Hermione had said something and then over-reacted far too much. Neither of them would talk about what happened.

Monday morning rolled around and they had two, end of the term exams today. One of them was in Defense Against the Dark Arts and the other had to be one of the worst they'd take the entire week, History of Magic. To make it worse their History of Magic one was at nine in the morning and went until eleven if they needed the time. The six year Gryffindor's buckled down in the classroom and took it, though reluctantly. With half an hour left the class had thinned out and many students had already left. Jess stood with her test and gave it to professor Binns. She then walked outside and joined Harry. Among the students left in the classroom were Hermione, who was triple checking everything, Neville, who looked frightened, and Ron who looked like a deer in headlights.

Harry slipped his hand into Jess' as they walked away. "I'd like to have some time before we go that we just spend together." Harry said, breaking the silence.

"The best days for that would be either tomorrow or Wednesday, since those are our lighter days."

"Do you have a preference to which day?"

"Lets make it tomorrow, since I'll want to do quite a bit of studying on Wednesday for our Charms and Herbology exams on Thursday."

"Is there any particular thing you'd like to do, or a place you want to go?"

"Yes Harry, I think there is."

"Oh?"

"Yeah, I want to o to the Chamber of Secrets."

Harry stopped short and looked at her as Jess continued walking for a couple feet. "Did I hear you wrong? Or did you say you want to go on a date to the Chamber of Secrets?"

"Well when you put it that way it does seem a little odd."

"A little odd? Try completely mental."

Jess laughed. "Well you and Ron got to go!"

Harry blinked, "We weren't exactly going on a romantic getaway."

This caused Jess to laugh even more. "Hey, who said the Chamber of Secrets couldn't be romantic?"

"I'm just guessing that a dead thirty-foot Basilisk isn't all that romantic. I could be wrong."

"You'll never know until we go their together."

"Jess, is there a specific reason why you want to go to the Chamber of Secrets?"

"Well I just want to see what its like. All I got out of you, Ron, and Ginny is that its wet, dark and there's a Basilisk in there. Oh, and that you killed a memory of a younger Hogwarts student Voldemort by stabbing his diary that we was preserving himself in, with a Basilisk poisonous fang."

"I take it you just want to see the Basilisk for yourself?"

"Yeah that too" she grinned.

"Alright, what time tomorrow?"

"Hmm, four sound good?"

"Sounds great."

"I'll be looking forward to it!" The pair then went to lunch and soon enough joined Ron and Hermione. Hermione began rambling on about the test. The more she talked about what she knew to be the right answers, the more Ron's fate was sealed. This made him even madder at Hermione and didn't pay attention to a word she said. Instead he discussed Quidditch with Harry, which left Jess to be the only one to re-live the test all over again with Hermione. Once they were done with lunch they headed off to their Defense Against the Dark Arts exam. Ron seemed to do better with this one since afterwards he was nowhere near as miserable.

Tuesday morning at nine the sixth year Gryffindor's went up to their head of house classroom and took their Transfiguration test. Most of the students stayed until the end of the exam due to the exam cramming of a few sections that professor McGonagall did. Luckily it was their only final of the day. Ron decided he should study for his Divination exam the next day and then dare risk the wrath of Mrs. Weasley. Hermione followed suit, though she was willingly studying for her Arithmancy exam.

Jess spent all of the extra time she had until four, studying for her Arithmancy exam as well. At ten to four Jess closed her book and went to the second floor and stood outside the girl's bathroom. At about five to four Harry wandered up to her. His invisibility cloak tucked away in his schoolbag that was with him. "Ready?"

Jess nodded and the pair walked in. They were safe to walk in together even though Harry was a guy, because no girl in their right mind used that particular bathroom since Moaning Myrtle was killed in it fifty years ago by looking at the basilisk in the eye. A big mistake on her part, if you didn't look the Basilisk directly in the eye you would be petrified instead. That was why, back in second year, Madam Pomfrey had a few stone stuff students in her office. Luckily professor Sprout was growing mandrakes at the time so the students were cured.

Myrtle came floating into view as the pair walked in. This is where in second year they brewed the poly juice potion, so they would sneak into the Slytherin common room looking identical to Crabbe, Goyle, and a couple other students. All so they could interrogate Malfoy, because they thought he was the heir of Slytherin, and that he had opened the Chamber of Secrets, though they ended up being wrong. Myrtle had liked Harry back then as well as in fourth year when she wandered into the prefects bathroom, and Harry was in there with the golden egg, trying to figure out the clue for the second task of the Triwizard Tournament. Jess on the other hand, Myrtle didn't like. It was the price she paid for being Harry's girlfriend, though no one really cared if Moaning Myrtle liked them or not.

"Hi Harry." Myrtle said while giggling.

"Hello Myrtle." He replied impassively.

Jess walked over to the sinks and found the one that had a tiny snake etched on it. "Come on Harry."

Harry walked over next thing he said only he could understand and the sink sank away and the Chamber was open. He looked back at Jess. "You're sure you want to do this?"

"Positive." She said while taking out her wand. "Lumos." Her wand tip lighted up as Jess jumped down into the Chamber. Harry shook his head and went after her, lighting his wand as well. They went sliding down in the large pipe, the sides of it were still slimy even after he and Ron as well as Lockhart used it four years ago. Apparently the slime had grown back with vengeance. They both landed on the wet damp floor that was far beneath any other part of the school. Jess stood, not being pleased about being covered in the dirty water, but she sufficed. It was very dark the only light came from their wand tips. Just then Jess thought of something. "Harry?"

He walked over to her. "Yeah?"

"How are we going to get out of here?"

Harry blinked. They didn't have to worry about it last time because Dumbledore's Phoenix, Fawkes, came to rescue them. "Uh, well if Riddle was able to open it before, there has to be some way out." He looked around and saw a narrow shabby staircase that followed the pipe back up. It was so narrow that they'd have to go in single file. "Here's a small staircase Riddle must have used it."

Jess nodded and began walking down the tunnel. Everything was wet around them, the floor, the walls, even the ceiling dripped in certain spots. Harry put his free arm protectively around Jess as they continued walking. Also the skeletons of small animals were all over the floor. Jess was the first to step on one and looked down. Luckily she wasn't squeamish or freaked out at bones. She looked up at Harry and continued forward. The next thing they walked by was the dead snake skin that the Basilisk must have last crawled out of. Jess walked up to it and gently touched it. "That is so cool."

Harry laughed softly at her. She was definitely not the ordinary type of girl, most would have screamed or wanted to go back by now. Jess looked back and noticed that there was a bunch of rubble behind him. "Did the walls start to collapse here?"

"Yeah, when Lockhart tried to use Ron's old wand it backfired. Ron moved enough of the rocks to make a passage-way for us to get through. I guess its still here."

"We'll at least Ron's old wand could manage that. I remember him having to use spell-o-tape on it after you guys crashed into the Whomping Willow.

Harry rubbed the back of his neck. "Yeah, that was interesting to say the least. I've learned from firsthand experience to never get too close to a temperamental tree."

Jess laughed softly. "We all learned that in third year. That thing gave me a really nasty bruise across my stomach, like I had been hit by a cat or something."

Harry nodded. "Do you still want to keep going?"

"Yeah." They began walking again down the long tunnel until there on the solid wall were two intertwined snakes craved into the wall. They had emerald eyes much like Jess' though their beauty was stunted by the glint in their eyes. "What now?" Jess asked while looking at Harry.

His grip on his wand tightened as, well as his arm around Jess' waist. "This." He looked at the wall and said in a low hissing voice that Jess couldn't understand _"Open."_

The two snakes slid apart as the door began to open. They slid completely away from each other and then disappeared into nowhere. Jess looked at it wide eyed. "That is… Well, I don't know what to say."

Harry smiled at her. "Wait until you see the Basilisk."

"The skin was pretty awesome. I can't imagine what the real thing looks like."

Harry couldn't help but laugh at her enthusiasm. "Do you know that you're very weird?"

Jess simply smiled at him. "Of course I do, and I like being weird."

"Most people wouldn't take that as a compliment."

"Ah but see, I'm weird."

"You amaze me sometimes."

"I know. I have that affect on people."

Harry grinned. "Shall we go in?"

"Yes!" Jess practically ran in, resulting in Harry losing his grip on her.

"Jess!" Harry ran after her. He caught up to her as she was about four feet away from the Basilisk.

"Whoa." Was all she could say. Jess stared at it wide eyed. "That is bloody awesome!"

"You wouldn't have thought so when it was alive." Harry responded while looking at it.

"What color were its eyes?"

"Uh, golden yellow. Why?"

"Just wondering. They look all bloody and gross now."

"Well, Fawkes did peck them out."

"That must have been sweet to see."

"I really wasn't too concerned about how sweet it looked. I didn't want to possibly get killed by looking too soon."

"True. And to think Basilisk's are created by a toad laying on a chicken's egg instead of the hen, until it cracks open the shell."

Harry blinked and looked at her. "Are you serious?"

"Well yeah didn't you read _Fantastic Beasts and Where to find them?"_

"Not from cover to cover. Only what we've had to for school."

"That's sad, its actually very interesting."

"If you say so."

"I know so!"  
He simply grinned. "You know I'm nowhere near the bookworm you are."

"And I'm nowhere near the bookworm Hermione is."

Harry laughed softly. "I don't think anyone could be."

"Oh you'd be surprised."

"You mean you know people that are as bad as Hermione?"

"Yep, and you know one of them."

"Wait… I do? And there's more than one?"

"You remember Rachel, right?"

"Well yeah."

"As well as her sister that graduated last year. She was a Hufflepuff."

"But Hufflepuff's aren't known for their intelligence."

"The Hufflepuff requirement of loyalty beat out her intelligence. She is smart though; she's just very loyal and has some of the Hufflepuff qualities."

"That's really odd. I always thought Hufflepuff as the house for all the leftover students."

"Explain Cedric Diggory then."

Harry's face fell as he thought of Cedric. Cedric had been a person to aspire to be. But now he was dead. If only Harry has just taken the Triwizard cup and not suggest they take it together. If he just would have been selfish, Cedric would be alive. Cedric would have made an excellent Gryffindor, yet he was placed in Hufflepuff, what was known as the house for the dumb people, or for as Harry had so eloquently put it the 'leftovers'. Cedric was certainly not a leftover. He was strong, full of courage, loyal and most of all a true friend.

Jess lightly placed her hand on his arm. "Harry?"

He looked over at her and quickly said. "I'm fine Jess. Don't worry about me. I have to get over it sooner or later."

Jess nodded but slightly frowned. She looked over at the Basilisk. An idea sparked in her head and she walked right up to it.

Harry was sort of in a trance, while thinking about Cedric. He only snapped out of it when he heard Jess yelling. "You stupid little bugger!" He looked over to his side and saw that Jess was absent. Harry then looked over to the Basilisk, and right by its enormous mouth, there was Jess.

Jess was currently attempting to pry off something from the Basilisk. From Harry's angle he couldn't tell. He ran over and was horrified to see that she was trying to manually remove one of the Basilisk's highly poisonous fangs. Harry remembered well that his arm had been pierced by one as he stabbed the Basilisk in its mouth. The fang sank into his arm deep; the only thing that had saved him from a quick death was Fawkes. For Phoenix tears have healing powers. And now his girlfriend but as one of his best friends was risking the same fate, and there was no sign of Fawkes around. "JESS!" Harry practically screamed as he ran right up to her and pulled her back firmly. "What do you think you were doing?!"

Jess pulled out her wand and instead blasted one of the fangs off. She then walked over to it and picked it up. The fang was easily one and a half to twice the size of her hand. "It might come in handy."

He looked at her curiously with one eyebrow raised. "Might come in handy? For what might I ask?"

"Well, I haven't thought that through yet." Jess replied while putting the Basilisk fang in her purse. "I'll have to get back to you on that one."

"You will, because I'm quite interested in your reasoning."

"I'm glad you find it oh so fascinating."

Harry grinned at her. "Oh but I do."

"You are a dork."

"I'm your dork though."

"I own you now?"

He chuckled softly. "I'll let you determine if you do or not."

"You know you're sometimes too laid back for your own good. It's a good thing that you know I won't take advantage of you."

"And for that I'm grateful. Its that about you that makes me love you even more."

Jess' cheeks began to flush at once. She looked up at Harry. Love? He had never said that before. It was the first time he had said that while they were dating. "Harry?" She whispered, though she didn't need to.

Harry looked at her with a nervous smile. "Yeah?"

"Do- do you mean that?" She was slightly stuttering, something she only did rarely.

"Yeah Jess, I love you."

His statement hit her like a ton of bricks. Never had she had a guy say that to her before that wasn't a relative. But now the Boy-who-lived, the famous Harry Potter himself said it to her. And by the look he gave her, he meant it. "I love you too, Harry."

He smiled warmly at her and pulled her closer; making sure the Basilisk's fang now occupying her purse was far away. Harry brushed back a strand of her auburn hair and kissed her full on the lips, like he never had before. They stayed like this for a few minutes before Jess pulled away. When she had let everything fully sink in she kissed him again, like he had kissed her. Then it was Harry's turn to pull away. He looked at Jess with a broad smile on his face.

Jess had a smile on her face as well. "And you said that the Chamber of Secrets wasn't romantic."

Harry laughed and looked around the dank, damask, and dark room. "Well all on its own it really isn't. I guess it just depends on the company you have with you."

"That would be it. Now that this place doesn't inhabit a live basilisk and the dark Lord, I think it would be a cool place to explore. There's got to be an endless maze of tunnels that you could get lost in. It would be a great place to play hide and seek."

"I suppose you're right, if you could sneak people down here, and it people were willing to come down here in the first place."

"Harry, you only really need three people to play hide and seek. We could probably convince Ron, Hermione perhaps Ginny or maybe all three to come down here. Ginny might be ify though. She stills feels bad about opening, the Chamber of Secrets and the whole thing with the diary."

"Or we could just keep this place to ourselves you know."

"And make it like our romantic getaway within Hogwarts?"

He laughed, "something like that. We probably should get going though. Hermione will probably start wondering where we ran off to."

"I guess you're right though. She also is the one who is most understanding about us. So she might just leave it alone. In any case we probably should go unless you want to explore down here."

"Not particularly, maybe another time."

"I'll hold you to that, Harry." Jess grinned and started back to the entrance.

Harry caught up to her and slipped his hand in hers as they walked back to the entrance. Once they got back up to the Gryffindor common room, Hermione reminded them of their exam tomorrow. This was the one night that they wouldn't be studying the same thing. Jess and Hermione studied Arithmancy as Harry studied for Divination. Ron was nowhere to be seen at the moment. Jess sighed, wondering Ron and Hermione to make them speak to each other again. It would soon blow over though.

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Alright now chapter 46 is up! This one was quite a bit longer, so hopefully you will all like that. Now I know there wasn't a lot of Draco and I know it was more Harry/Jess stuff, but the end is near. I just thought the concept of a date to the Chamber of Secrets was hilarious, and well Harry would be the only one to get her into the Chamber of Secrets. I will not be putting up another chapter until we have reached the 400 mark on reviews. That's only 12 reviews, I know you guys can do it! Until next chapter, read and review!


	47. Malfoy Manor

Hello everyone! I know its been 11 days or something like that but I have now arrived with another chapter! Hey, it least it was under two weeks... This chapter is yet again, quite a bit longer and I think you guys will enjoy it since I have introduced a new aspect, or well, one that hasn't been seen yet. So, thanks for the reviews everyone! We have successfully reached over 400 reviews! I don't know if I mentioned that last time or if it was last time that, that happened. Its been a while folks... Anyways, here's the new chapter! I do not own Harry Potter.

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Wednesday afternoon the golden group split into two as Hermione and Jess went up to take professor Vector's exam on Arithmancy, and Harry and Ron took professor Trelawney's on Divination. It was their last light day of exams. Thursday proved to be a tough day with both Herbology and Charms exams scheduled. Most students finished their exams on time. Friday was a different story.

Friday morning started out roughly with their Potions exam at nine in the morning. Snape lurked around the room as the students partook in the mini-novel of a test. About half-way through the gaunt professor sat back at his desk and began grading tests. Many A's and P's were given. Very few O's or E's, but a decent amount of F's and T's were given. Eleven o'clock rolled around and not even Hermione was done with her test. She ended up staying an extra forty minutes. By noon all of the students were done, but that was when they were supposed to start their next test. The sixth year Gryffindor's marched down to Hagrid's hut with empty stomachs.

Hagrid was as always bright and cheery as the students approached. He looked confused as he saw their glum faces. "What happened?" He asked Harry, Jess and Hermione.

"Snape happened." Harry replied as it that was the equivalent of the all knowing answer of Jesus in Sunday school.

"Oh, what'd he do?"

"His test was so long that not even Hermione could finish it in the allotted time. Everyone stayed an hour over time and then we had to rush out here without any lunch" Jess replied.

"Well that won't do now will it? Professor Snape can be difficult sometimes… Well then, off yeh go." Hagrid said his last sentence loud enough for everyone else to hear.

The students all looked at him in confusion. They hadn't taken their exam yet and Hagrid was shooing them off? Hermione, being the most concerned about her grade, spoke up. "What do you mean, Hagrid? We haven't taken our exam yet."

"There'll be no good in yeh all takin' yer exams on an empty stomach. All of yeh be back here in thirty minutes and we'll start yer exam then." He proclaimed so all of the students could hear. They were quite thankful of how thoughtful and generous Hagrid could be. The students knew for certain that professor Snape never would have let them off the hook so easily. He would have made them suffer as that was previously demonstrated by the exam the students had taken previously that morning.

The sixth year Gryffindor's tromped back up to the castle and when to the Great Hall. They ate happily, some keeping a close eye on the time, others not so much. Ron was busy stuffing everything he put on his plate in his mouth, all at once. He still sat with Jess, Harry and Hermione, even though he really wasn't talking to Hermione. For damage control purposes Jess and Harry had to pick sides, which was easy enough, Jess usually took Hermione's side and Harry took Ron's. The boys would usually talk about Quidditch or something that didn't have to do with school. Jess and Hermione talked about different topics, only some of the time was the topic school. The thirty minutes went by very quickly and the students went back out to Hagrid's hut.

"Bet yeh all feel better now." Hagrid commented with a broad grin. He then passed out the tests and the exam began. No one needed the full two hours for the exam. Most people were done with a little under an hour to spare. It was always nice that the students could rely on no curve balls thrown at them on Hagrid's exams. Of the golden group, Ron was the last one to finish with forty minutes to spare. They all traveled back up to the Gryffindor common room to celebrate the end of the term.

"The train leaves at eleven tomorrow morning. Are any of you planning on staying for Christmas?" Hermione asked out of curiosity.

"No, I'll be staying with Ron this Christmas." Harry said, sounding grateful that he did not have to spend it with his aunt and uncle, not to mention Dudley.

"You're welcome to come and stay too, Jess." Ron stated, blatantly ignoring that Hermione was right there in front of him, and could easily hear what he said.

Jess looked at him in shock for saying that in front of Hermione. She knew the pair was having a row, but that was uncalled for. Hermione looked shocked as well, as well as angry. "Um, thanks Ron but I'm going home for the holidays."

Hermione then spoke up. "My parents and I are going to France." She had to sound a little smug, since the Weasley's really couldn't afford much in the department of vacation.

Ron's ears turned red. "Is that supposed to mean something?"

"Make of it what you will, Ronald." Hermione replied while looking at him.

Ron huffed, "At least I won't me spending my Christmas alone. I'll have friends over. Oh that's right, you don't have any friends do you?"

Everyone else looked at Ron in complete shock. Hermione stood as well, her bushy mane flying in every direction. "I do have friends, Ronald."

"Besides the three of us? I think not. Do you even have friends back at home?"

"The three of you? I only see Harry and Jess."

"Well piss off then!" Ron yelled and stomped off to the boy's dormitory. Hermione looked taken aback and at the verge of tears. Every student that was in the common room had heard Ron's last statement and looked over with interest.

Jess stood and put her arm around Hermione. "What are all of you looking at?" She asked sternly, this got her point across and everyone went back to their own business. Jess gave Hermione a hug. "Ron's just being a complete prat, 'Mione. Don't pay any attention to what he said."

"But he's right. All I have for friends you are two. I don't have any back at home."

"So? Do you think Ron does? The answer to that is no. Harry doesn't either, 'Mione. Who cares where your friends are? Whether they're at home or at school, they still are your friends. Besides 'Mione, this is like a second home to all of us."

Hermione nodded her head and wiped away her potential tears. "Thanks, Jess."

"Anytime, now we probably should get to bed. I don't know about you but I got to pack in the morning."

"I finished most of my packing."

Jess smiled. "I should have known that." Hermione smiled back at her and then proceeded to go up to the girls' dormitory. When she was gone Jess turned back to Harry. He stood and walked over to her, placing a kiss on her lips. "You'll have to talk to Ron."

"I intend to, but not right now. I want to spend some time with you before the holidays." Harry replied with a smile.

"I have to go to bed though. I need to get all my packing done in the morning."

"Then how about I meet up with you on the train in the back compartment?"

"Ooh, that sounds a bit risky."

Harry laughed and whispered in her ear. "Maybe it was meant to be like that."

A red hue graced Jess' cheeks as Harry kissed her cheek. "I think that can be arranged."

"Glad to heat it. I'll leave you to your beauty sleep then." Harry leaned over and the pair kissed once more before going upstairs. Jess sighed contently and went up to the girls' dormitory. She put on her pajamas and soon was asleep.

The next morning at Hogwarts was chaos as most of the students ran around trying to get their stuff together. A select portion of the school was not running around, seeing as though they had decided to stay at Hogwarts over the Christmas holidays. Draco would have been one of these people if he hadn't received a letter two days prior. It was from his father Lucius, telling him that there was urgent business at home and that it concerned Draco. He had been looking so forward to spending Christmas at Hogwarts, but fate had a different idea for him. One that he probably wouldn't be fond of. As long as they didn't go on a muggle killing spree he was okay. Or if it had anything to do with Draco forming bruises or welts, he had never been a fan of them. But he never seemed able to escape them, because of his father, or as Draco would love to call Lucius to his face one day, a sick control freak, and bastard. But that day would probably never come.

Around ten all of the students that were going back home boarded carriages and were whisked off to Hogsmeade. When Draco got out of his carriage he ran into someone, upon closer inspection it was the brunette beauty that could and would never be his.

Jess looked up at him. She bit back all the sarcastic remarks she thought of and instead greeted him casually. "Hello, Malfoy."

Draco nodded his greeting. "Going home?" He asked nonchalantly.

"Yeah, my parents want to see me on my birthday."

"Oh, makes sense."

"You're going home as well?" Her tone sounded as one of surprise.

Draco held up the accursed letter from his father. "Father's orders that I come home."

"Oh, well good luck." Jess then walked off and went to find her friend. She would never know that Draco would need her good luck. He stuffed the letter back in his pocket and boarded the train.

Jess proceeded to the very last carriage and opened the door. There was Harry, sitting there with Hedwig in her cage on the opposite bench. She smiled as she walked in and sat her cage that contained Silverwing down next to Hedwig. Harry stood and helped her put her trunk overhead. The two owls were the most beautiful pair of snow owls as they hooted softly in recognition of each other. Jess and Harry then sat back down on the same bench.

"Where's Hermione?" Jess asked, knowing she'd possibly interrupt the pair.

"Off doing her prefect duties."

"And Ron?"

"He ran off with Lavender."

Jess looked at him in surprise. "Again?"

"He couldn't resist the free snog."

Jess rolled her eyes. "He's just going to make things worse."

Harry nodded as the Hogwarts Express began to move. "He's a little thick sometimes."

"You could say that again. Can't do much about it though."

"I'll talk to him about it over the holidays."

"Thanks Harry. I think he just needs another push in the right direction."

Harry smiled and placed his hand over Jess' "Speaking of the holidays, I'm going to miss you."

"I'll miss you too, Harry. I think I'll miss you most of all."

Harry simply grinned. "I wish I would be there for your birthday though, but I can't apparate yet."

"I know, and I know if you could, you would. I'll apparate over for your birthday."

"But that's not until July."

"No harm in planning ahead." Jess smiled up at him.

"I think I'm going to miss that smile most of all." Harry leaned over and placed a soft kiss on her lips.

"You're too sweet, Harry." Jess responded after the kiss. "So, what were your plans for the train ride?"

"Oh, a little of this." He kissed her again.

"I think I can handle that." Jess gave him a kiss in return. The pair kissed on and off for the next fifteen minutes, their only audience being their owls. Their last kiss Harry deepened and the two ended up having a good fifteen minute snog session on top of the previous kissing bout. The pair then parted, knowing Hermione would soon be done with her prefect duties. Sure enough about five minutes later Hermione came in and sat down. Crookshanks followed her in and climbed up on her lap and began to knead her leg.

"Have you two seen, Ron? I wanted to get over this spat before it grew into something bigger." Hermione asked after a minute of silence.

"I saw him when we boarded, but that's it." Harry replied in answer.

"Oh, have you seen him, Jess?"

"No, not since last night, sorry, Hermione" Jess apologized.

"Nothing to be sorry about. I guess it can wait until after the holidays." The three continued to talk the rest of the train ride. Rachel came in and joined them about half-way through the ride. The trolley full of candies and sweets came through and they all bought their fair share. Around dark the train was starting to slow down as it pulled up to platform nine and three-quarters. They all got off together. Hermione and Rachel said their goodbyes and let the couple alone once more.

Jess looked up at Harry. "I guess this is goodbye, until next year. Promise me that you and Ron will stay safe this Christmas."

"We will Jess, you need not have any worried." Harry reassured her.

"So you won't go looking for trouble?"

"No."

"No middle of the night magical car rides? No inflating relative or chambers with thirty feet Basilisks in them?"

He chuckled softly before responding. "No, none of that."

"Promise?"

"I promise. We'll have a normal and low key Christmas, and none of us will land ourselves in Azkaban."

A small smile crept up on her face. "Good."

"You have to promise the same thing to me."

"Like I go looking for trouble?

"Well neither do I. It just likes following me around."

"Ah, I see. Well maybe you should tell it to bugger off."

"I can't though. It's the Gryffindor in me."

Jess laughed softly. She then turned around and noticed her parents waiting for her along with Rachel. "My parents are here. Write to me okay?"

"I will at least for your birthday."

"I'm going to miss you, Harry."

"I'll miss you too." Harry bent down and placed a tender kiss on her lips. Jess slunk her arms behind his neck as Harry pulled her closer around the waist.

Draco looked bothered as he waited for a servant or his mother to come and pick him up. He looked over casually and saw the spectacle of Wonder-boy and Anderson snogging. Draco gritted his teeth and looked away in disgust as well as annoyance. "Bloody Potter." He muttered to himself while resuming looking for his way home.

Harry pulled away. "You should go since your parents are waiting."

Jess gave him one last smile. "Alright, see ya." She grabbed her trunk as well as Silverwing's cage and headed over to her parents and Rachel. When she got over to them, Jess sat down her bags as her mother consumed her in a hug.

"We've missed you sweetheart." Her mother said with a smile on her face.

Jess' dad grabbed her trunk with one hand and gave his daughter a one armed hug. "Welcome home, Jess." He smiled down at her. "I see you and Harry are getting along really well." Her dad glanced over at Harry as he was greeted by the Weasley's.

"I told both you and mom in a letter that we're dating, dad." Jess reminded him.

"How long has that been going on?" He asked with curiosity laced in his voice.

"A little over two months. Don't worry so much dad, Harry's one of my best friends. He'd never do anything you'd disapprove of."

Her mom came over and placed a hand on Jess' shoulder. "We know sweetheart, but your father and I can't help but worry. We both love you so much and would hate for something to happen to you."

"If you mean me getting pregnant that's not happening, until I'm married. You should know that I know better than to even attempt the act of pro-creation before marriage, unsafe or protected."

Rachel whispered in Jess' ear. "Is this the kind of conversations you have with your parents now?"

Jess couldn't help but laugh. "No, they know better than anyone that I'm saving sex for marriage."

"Well that's good."

Jess' dad grabbed Rachel's trunk as well. "You girls can handle your owl's right?" They both nodded as Jess' dad began to lead the way back to the taxi waiting for them outside.

Jess took one final look back at platform nine and three-quarters. She saw Harry, Ron and Ginny with the rest of the Weasley's, Hermione with her parents, and the last person she glanced at was Draco. He seemed to be pouting about something or another but oddly enough he looked fairly attractive while doing it. Jess blinked and looked back at Rachel and whispered so only she could hear her. "Hey Rachel?"

Rachel turned and leaned in, also whispering. "Yeah?"

"What do you think of Malfoy?"

"What do you mean what do I think of Malfoy?"

Jess turned her head slightly so she was inconspicuously looking at Draco. Rachel followed her gaze as Jess spoke. "What do you think of him?"

"He's a jerk. Um, why do you ask?"

"I was just wondering what you thought of him in the looks department."

She took another glance at him. "Well, you know he's not that bad looking, he has a nice face." Rachel then pondered thoughtfully. "Why do you like him or something?"

Jess looked away from Draco and back to her. "Huh? Uh, no I was just wondering."

"Alrighty then." She slightly raised an eyebrow in suspicion as they walked back through the platform and out to the taxi waiting for them.

The taxi driver looked at Jess' dad as though he was nuts, when he saw that Jess and Rachel had caged owl's with them. "Excuse me sir, but why do you have owl's with you?"

Jess' dad rubbed the back of his neck, while pondering on how to explain why his daughter and his daughter's friend had owl's. "Well, you see they are my daughter and her friend's pets."

The taxi cab driver stared at him as though he had sprouted a third eye in the middle of his forehead, right in front of him. Jess' owl hooted softly, as Rachel's Tawny owl, Roxas stared blankly at the taxi cab driver. Rachel's owl scared the driver as it didn't blink. "Its hard to explain but my daughter has had her for five years."

After another few awkward moments of silence, the driver let them all into the back of the cab and were driven to the airport. Once they got there they went through all the regular procedures at the airport and waited in front of their gate.

"I can't wait to go home." Rachel mused out loud. "I love Hogwarts but it will be nice to get away from the madness. Not to mention a break from homework."

"I know what you mean. It'll be nice just to spend time with my parents and not have to worry about a three foot long essay for Snape, or the constant threat of Voldemort lucking around somewhere close, plotting his new attack. But at the same time I'm going to miss my friends that I can't see outside of school."

"And Harry."

"Harry is one of my friends but yeah I'll miss him."

"Well its only a couple of weeks. Summer will be worse."

"I know, don't remind me."

"But you'll be able to apparate by then."

"True. Oh, that reminds me, we need to figure out where we can take our apparition tests."

"Oh yeah! We'll both be seventeen!"

"Well you already are. You turned seventeen about a month ago."

"We should take them together."

"That gives me an idea." Jess took out a scrap of parchment and wrote herself a reminder.

"What?"

"I'll tell you later."

"Alright." The plane then began to board. They all got on and the plane took off back to America. It was very early in the morning when they got back home, due to the time zone difference. They first dropped Rachel at her house. When Jess got home she went up to her room and flopped down on her bed. Silverwing screeched in protest, since she wanted to be let out of her cage. Jess had to practically drag herself over to the cage and let her out. Silverwing hopped out of her cage and stretched out her wings. She then went over to Jess' window to be let out. As soon as it was open, Silverwing leapt out and flew into the dead of the night. Jess collapsed onto her bed. As she closed her eyes, her thoughts were oddly enough still on the blonde Slytherin boy. The ones of attraction were lingering around in her head until she thought of where he was going. Draco was going home, where his father was. She remembered that he had mentioned that Lucius wanted him there and demanded his presence in the form of a letter. Worry replaced her previous thoughts as she nestled in for a restless sleep.

Draco had arrived at the luxurious Malfoy Manor hours earlier. The manor was big enough to be a palace and it was a wonder that anyone found their way around the house. Ten foot high iron bars greeted you as you stepped onto the property. Snakes and dragons were engraved in the doors of the gates. Once you got past those, there was an enormous lawn that was at least an acre or two in size. There were a few large and ornate hedges that had been shaped into mythical creatures. Dragons and serpents seemed to be favorites. On the right side of the lawn was an intricate fountain. Draco had always had fun playing in it as a child. After the stroll up to the actual house you arrived at two large heavy doors, each had beautiful brass knockers. Draco simply opened the door to the right and walked into the main entryway, which had many stone pillars and a high ceiling. He sighed softly as he removed his shoes and dragged his trunk upstairs. The Malfoy Manor had three floors, not including the cellar. Draco particularly hated the cellar. It gave him chills just thinking about it. All dark and dingy, the creepiest thing is that in the cellar there was literally a jail cell. He shuddered while even thinking about it. Draco could remember back to the handful of times Lucius had thrown him in there for the night as a child. Whether the purpose of it was for punishing him or toughening him up, Draco hated it regardless. But that was nothing compared to when Lucius was really angry.

Draco reached the second floor and went down the hall to the left. He arrived at the third door on the right side and opened it. He pulled in his trunk as well as his eagle owl's cage. Draco locked the door behind him and went over to his large bay window to let his owl out of its cage. The jet clack owl hopped out of its cage and lightly nipped Draco's finger before flying out the window. Draco watched him fly away, wishing that he could do the very same. Instead he was home bound for the next couple weeks. He turned back around and looked at his spacious room. His room had the same color scheme that it did in Hogwarts, emerald green, silver and of course, black. He paced over to his king size bed and plopped down on it. A soft sigh escaped his lips as Draco ran his hands through his hair, while looking up at the ceiling. It was rather depressing that he hadn't been home an hour, and yet so desperately wanted to leave. How he was going to survive the next couple weeks he did not know. He had successfully managed every summer, so a couple of weeks shouldn't be too bad. His father would most likely be gone, now that Voldemort was back in power, which was good news for Draco, though he couldn't help but keep wondering, what Lucius wanted.

An hour later a soft knock sounded on his door. Draco sat up on his bed and looked over. "Who is it?"

"Dinner is ready, dear." His mother called from the other side of the door. Draco stood up and walked over and opened the door. Narcissa stood there with a small smile on her face. Draco returned a smile quickly, as Narcissa gave him a quick hug. It was good to see that she looked well. His father hadn't been too harsh on her lately. No matter what happened to him, Draco always knew that his mother loved him. Even if she couldn't stop Lucius from hurting him, or end up getting hurt herself, she was always there. As Draco got older he avoided telling Narcissa of any bruises or beatings he received. He hid then well and to Narcissa's knowledge they had pretty much stopped. Thought they were much less in number, Draco never left himself unguarded from a possible attack. The hug they shared was brief so as not to get caught. The pair of mother and son then walked downstairs to the breathtaking dining room. To Draco's displeasure his father was there.

Lucius looked up from his scolding of a house elf and noticed his son and wife were in the room. They took their respected seats at the table and began eating. None of the tem said much at all. Draco was surprised he wasn't being questioned about his attitude at school, or how his marks were for his classes. Dinner seemed too pleasant to be true. This went on for about forty minutes, when Draco placed his napkin on the table and looked over at his father.

"May I be excused father?" He asked politely.

"Draco, I would actually like to have a word with you." Lucius stated back, his word was like the law. He looked over at Narcissa, who got the hint that she was supposed to leave. She stood quietly and left the room.

Draco watched her every step until she was out of the room. He then looked back over to Lucius. "Yes father?"

"I'd like to have a word about last time I saw you." He replied calmly.

Draco thought back to the last time he had seen his father. It had to have been during school. After a few moments his memories registered and Draco was reminded of the time his father saw him, Jess and their baby Madison at Hogsmeade. He felt a cold chill go down his spine. "Yes father." He couldn't think of anything else to say.

"If I remember correctly you were at Hogsmeade with a mudblood, and that abomination she was carrying."

Draco felt something drop low in his stomach. For one thing she was not a mudblood, and another thing, the child they had was not an abomination. He bit back his remark and instead replied. "It was for a school project, father. There was no way for me to get out of it and still receive high marks."

"Rubbish!" Lucius snapped as he stood. He walked over to Draco, who stood as if on command. "Now you listen to me. If you were a true Malfoy, you would have figured a way out of it. You could have told me."

"The professor wouldn't take any excuses."

Lucius laid a hard slap across Draco's cheek. "They would have listened to me. Are you questioning my authority boy?" He looked at Draco, his expression hard as ice.

"No, sir I'm not."

"Are you patronizing me?!" Lucius' voice rose as he smacked Draco so hard that his bottom lip spilt open.

"No father I'm not!" Draco reassured quickly bringing his hand to his lap.

"I think you are!" Lucius brandished out his wand and pointed it at Draco.

"Please, I didn't do anything wrong!" Draco pleaded with him.

Lucius shook his head and grabbed Draco by the collar. "If I see you with a mudblood again, the punishment will be costly. Do you understand me?" He piercingly gazed into Draco's eyes, blue crashing into blue.

Draco nodded, hoping that's all that would happen. "Yes, father, I understand."

With another hard slap across the face Lucius released him forcefully, so that Draco ran sharply into his chair. "Good. Now get out of my sight!"

Draco quietly retreated to his room. He opened his door and pulled out a mirror to look at his bottom lip. After applying pressure on it for a while, the bleeding stopped and Draco got into his pajamas. He crawled into his bed and gazed up at the ceiling. _It could have been worse_, he mused. Draco then situated himself in his bed and closed his eyes, wishing that he could leave this all behind and be free.

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Ta da! And Chapter 47 is up! You weren't expecting that were you? Haha, I don't think you were. Hopefully Lucius was a big enough jerk in this chapter. Since I think hes an ass. Anyways, I'm not sure is everyone unstands the grades of Harry Potter. But O's (Outstanding) and E's (Exceeds Expectations) are the A's and B's of our system. A (acceptable) is a C basically. I think P (Poor) is next I forgot what F is and T (Troll) is the worst. So, I must quickly flee and get ready for work but I thought I should put this up first! Please review guys! Thanks!


	48. Diagon Alley

Hello everyone! I notice it has been a while since I have updated. I don't honestly remember when the last time was... But things have been beyond busy, so that's my excuse. Anyways, I really don't need one any more since I am putting up a chapter, right? Right. So... This chapter is a bit fluffy, and I know as well as the next person that sometimes some fluff is needed. Also, I am almost done writing this story. Yeah, I have a ton written that you have not seen yet so don't worry. There's quite a handful of chapters to be put up still. And by a handful, I mean at least a dozen. I'm not quite sure on the numbers since I myself have not finished writing this story yet. So we'll just have to see what happens. In other news I would like to thank everyone yet again for reading as well as reviewing. Thanks guys! It always means a lot. :) So, now that I can't think of anything else to say, I'm just going to close for now and let you read. I do not own Harry Potter.

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The next week went by with no more incidents. Draco made sure that he was out of Lucius's way unless he had to be around him. He spent most of his time locked up in his room reading books. Occasionally when he was sick of reading, Draco would sit next to his large bay window and gaze outside. Birds would fly by periodically as well as his owl, Aeolus. Aeolus perched on the windowsill as Draco stroked the top of his head gently. Aeolus flew inside so that Draco could shut the window and block the cold and frosty December air. The owl perched himself on Draco's bedpost as a loud rapping noise sounded on Draco's door.

Draco turned and stood up from the window. "Yes?"

"Open the door." His father commanded from the other side. Quickly Draco crossed to the other side of the room and threw open the door. "Ah, good, you're dressed. We have some business to attend to. Be at the door in five minutes." With that, Lucius' cloak swished behind him as he walked back down the hall. A few minutes later Draco followed behind him wondering what this could be about.

Jess woke up that morning to the cheerful singing of her parents wishing her a happy birthday. It was hard to believe that Christmas was over and that it was the last day of the year. Her grandparents came over as well to celebrate. Around eleven a letter came for Jess. She opened the letter and read it. "Its from Mr. Weasley. Looks like my plans are going to work!" Jess smiled broadly as she put her jacket on and trekked over to Rachel's house. Rachel was there waiting for her with a smile on her face and her families broom in hand.

"Ready?" She asked while mounting the broom.

"Yep!" Jess hopped on behind her and the pair had a short flight over to their destination. It was a small and otherwise unknown place to muggles. It was here that you could take your apparation test. A little old man wandered over, asking if they were in fact seventeen, since it was illegal to apparate under age. The girls showed him the necessary paperwork and their tests began. Jess had been preparing for her test the entire break. About forty-five minutes later both girls were handed their license or approval slips to apparate.

Jess looked at Rachel with a grin. "Ready?"

Rachel nodded back at her. "Yep!" In a matter of seconds they both disappeared into thin air. A few minutes later with the sound of a loud pop; the pair arrived right outside the Leaky Cauldron in London.

"Right now its about six o'clock here. Mr. Weasley said he'd be here between six and six-thirty. Lets go inside and get something to drink." Jess suggested as the pair headed into the Leaky Cauldron.

Draco's day had been rather uneventful. He was carted around Diagon Ally for what seemed like forever. When his father decided to go to Knockturn Alley, Draco came up with the excuse of wanting to check out the latest model of broom. After all he was the seeker on Slytherin's Quidditch team. Never being one to accept failure, Lucius allowed him to do so, while he went else ware. Draco sighed a sigh of relief once his father was gone and he headed over to the Quidditch shop.

After examining the latest broom model and gloating over the fact of how he could easily buy ten of them, Draco left the Quidditch store in search of something else. He didn't know what that something else was until he found himself wandering into a jewelry shop. Not that Draco frequented going into jewelry stores, it just seemed like the place to go. By the prices on the items he could tell that this was a high end store, but luckily for Draco money never mattered. Upon perusing the store Draco's gaze landed on a necklace. He pressed his nose against the glass to get a better look at it.

There before him sat a beautifully crafted dragon made out of the purest silver. The dragon hung on a metal chain that would make it rest on the middle of someone's chest. Upon further inspection Draco noticed that the dragon was clutching onto a beautiful gem in its claws. The gem was none other than an emerald in the most breathtaking shade of green. Yet, this color seemed so familiar to him. It was then that ne noticed that the shade of the gem matched Jess' eyes perfectly.

A loud clearing of a throat sounded above him. "Excuse me, but do not touch the glass." A snobby voice commanded. Draco stood at his full height and looked at the man. The man instantly paled at the sight of Draco, heir to the most wealthy wizarding family in the world. His throat suddenly became dry as sandpaper as he managed to choke out. "Mr. Malfoy! I beg your pardon, forgive me. I didn't know it was you."

Draco raised an eyebrow in curiosity as a scowl graced his features. "That should be a lesson then to mind your tongue." He shot back in a semi-irritated tone.

The man's eyes widened as though he expected Draco to pull out his wand right there and use the Cruciatus curse on him. "Terribly sorry sir, I did not mean to insult you."

"You should think of that next time before you open your fat mouth."

The man simply nodded, not daring to speak in case he said the wrong thing and accidentally send Draco over the edge. After a few moments of silence the man tried to speak once more. "How can I help you, Mr. Malfoy?"

Draco looked down and pointed at the necklace. "I need to know how much that necklace is."

The jeweler looked down at the necklace and smiled. "You have a great eye master Malfoy. This particular necklace is three thousand galleons."

Draco looked up at him. "I'll take it. Put it on hold for me while I run to Gringotts." The jeweler nodded as Draco exited the shop and headed over to Gringotts. Once he got inside he pulled out his key and a goblin took him down to his vault. Draco grabbed the necessary coins he needed as well as a little extra. He then walked back to the jewelers and presented him with the money. The jeweler took the necklace and placed it in a velvet lined box before handing it to Draco. "Do you have a card and a ribbon?" The jeweler produced both and on Draco's request tied a green ribbon around the box. Draco picked up a handy quill and thought for a moment before writing. _It has to be perfect_, he thought while staring at the small card. After a few moments Draco started scribbling on the card. Once he was done he folded the card and tucked it underneath the bow. Draco then stuck the box in his pocket and walked out to the other stores. He putzed around as best as he could until his father approached him a long while later.

"Come with me." He instructed while walking over towards the Leaky Cauldron. Draco followed him inside to see it was crowded ad this time of day with many witches and wizards. Lucius insisted that he grab them both a table while he went over to the bar. Draco reluctantly found a table for two and sat down, looking at all the other occupants in the bar.

Jess and Rachel walked in to see that the Leaky Cauldron was busy and full of thirsty costumers. "I'll go get us a table." Rachel commented as she walked away.

Jess made her way over to the bar where Tom the bartender was busy with work. He noticed Jess and smiled. "What can I get you?"

"Two butterbeers please." She asked while sitting on one of the stools to wait. Tom finished the order he was working on before filling up two frosty mugs full of butterbeer. Jess paid at the bar and walked back over to Rachel. She slid her, her mug while sitting down.

"Thanks, Jess." Rachel handed her the amount of money for her drink. The two began to talk about what their plans for the evening were.

"Harry's going to be so shocked." Jess commented while taking a sip from her butterbeer. "He was no idea that we're coming. The only one that does is Mr. Weasley. I made sure that he kept it a surprise."

"I can't wait to see the looks on their faces, myself." Rachel responded back while laughing. This caused Jess to laugh along with her.

Draco's head snapped up as he heard the familiar sound of Jess. He looked over and sure enough there she was. His hand dug into his pocket and lightly touched the small box inside. Casually to not cause any suspicion he looked over at the bar to see Lucius talking with a man with a hood. _Probably a fellow death eater_, he mused sarcastically to himself. He had plenty of time then, no need to rush. Draco called over a waitress and ordered himself a butterbeer as he waited.

Rachel was surprisingly chatty today, as she recounted a rather funny event at school, right before the end of the term. She had Jess in stitches as she gave her the play by play details. "And then Susan Bones looked over at us weirdly and professor Snape said rablerozers." Rachel couldn't help but laugh as well. "Isn't that great Jess?"

"I must say, I wish I would have been there to see it."

"Yeah, so anyway, are you excited to see Harry?"

"Of course I am. Why wouldn't I be?"

"I dunno, just wondering."

"I miss all of my friends, especially Harry. Its too bad that Hermione won't be there. Her and Ron had another row right before the end of term."

"It sounded like all they ever do is fight."

"Well not all the time, but yes they do far too much."

"I wonder why."

"Simple, they like each other."

"Oh, so fighting a lot means you like each other? What about you and Malfoy then?"

Jess' cheeks turned the lightest shade of pink imaginable. She was lucky that the lighting in the Leaky Cauldron was dim. "Me and Malfoy You've got to be kidding me. I don't like him as far as I could throw him. And that's not saying much. You know as well as I do that he's nothing more than a git."

"True, I don't think you could ever sink that low. I think that would get you a trip to St. Mungo's to see if you've lost your mind."

"You don't have to worry about that Rachel. I'm more than happy with Harry."

Rachel smiled at her. "Good. Now Mr. Weasley should be here soon right?"

"Yeah, he said between six and six-thirty, and it's a quarter after six right now."

"I'm going to use the restroom. I'll be right back." Rachel stood and walked over to the women's bathroom, leaving Jess alone. Jess stood and grabbed her belongings. She put on her cloak and waited for Rachel to come back.

Draco looked over to see that Jess was alone now. Now was his chance. Draco slowly got up from his chair and casually walked over to Jess. He didn't look where he was going and ran Jess over. She fell to the ground and her purse fell off her shoulder. Jess looked up annoyed. "What was that-" She stopped in mid-sentence as she saw Draco towering over her.

Draco held out his hand to her, which she readily accepted. Warmth shot up his arm as her hand touched his. Draco held back what he was feeling inside and pulled her up. "Sorry about that, I didn't see you."

Jess looked at him puzzled. She had also felt a weird sensation as their hands met. She shook it off before he could tell. What made her even more confused was that he apologized. "Its alright. Don't worry about it. I know you didn't mean it."

Draco nodded and bent over to pick up her purse. When she wasn't looking, Draco slipped the box from his pocket into her purse before handing it to her. "You dropped this."

"Thanks." Jess took the purse from him and put the strap back on her shoulder. "So what are you doing here?"

"Father has some business he has to take care of and he wanted me to come along. But it isn't strange that I'm here. You don't even live in this country. What are you doing here?"

"Oh, well today's my birthday. I passed my apparation test this morning and now I'm here waiting for Mr. Wealsey. My friends Rachel and I are going over to the Weasley's to celebrate my birthday with my friends."

"Today is your birthday?"

"Yep, and yes I know who else is celebrating their birthday."

He blinked in surprise. "How do you know that?"

"Harry told me."

"Of course…" Draco realized that he had probably been talking to her too long and risked his father spotting the pair. But he didn't care, whenever Draco was around Jess lately, he felt better. Also, the desire to touch her or hold her increased. It was almost too much to bear, that and the fact that Potter would be doing what he wanted to do so badly, all night. He figured his time with her was up as he subconsciously grabbed her hand. It was so light and delicate compared to his own. Her skin was so silky smooth and felt wonderful against his. Draco lifted up her hand to his face, where he softly brushed his lips across her knuckles. "I wish you a very happy birthday." He murmured softly so only she could hear. With that Draco released her hand and walked away back to his table, leaving Jess stunned.

Whatever had gotten into him lately it was rubbing off on her. She didn't walk away from their conversation and better still, when he grabbed her hand, Jess didn't stop him. She had waited with bated breath to see what he could do. Where his lips touched her hand, it grew warm and sent a small shiver through her body; little did she know it did the same thing to him. In that moment that Draco left, Jess forgot why she was there, and had to stop herself from going after him. It took her a few moments to gain her composure. When she had, Rachel returned.

"Have you seen Mr. Weasley yet?" She asked upon her return.

"I haven't actually." She confessed her mind half with their conversation, half else ware.

"Are you alright, Jess?"

"Huh? Oh yeah, I'm fine. I was just thinking about something."

"Alright, if its anything you want to talk about just let me know." Rachel then spotted Mr. Weasley walked into the bar. "There he is!" The pair walked over to the eldest Weasley.

He smiled at them. "Ready to go?" They both nodded and soon they had apparated and stood before the large and slanted house, due to all the additions on it, that was the Burrow.

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Well I hope you all liked chapter 48! Also, I would like to make a note that the whole Harry/Jess pairing is on its last leg, if you couldn't tell.... I thought you'd all be thrilled about that. Oh, there is this nifty currency conversion link, so you can actually convert Galleons, Sickles and Knuts into American dollars. So, I guess you are all wondering how much 3,000 Galleons is aren't you? Well, in American dollars, its about 15,000. I did mention that Draco has an abundance of wealth, yes? Ha. So it wasn't a cheap purchase. Anyways, please read and review and I'll see you all again next chapter!


	49. Unexpected Visitor

Hey everyone! I can't remember last time I updated, but I don't think it was all that long ago. Anyways, I actually had a break in my bust schedule and decided to update! I also have good news for all of you, once I get to putting everything up that is. This story is finished! I wrote the last couple pages of it on Tuesday. But don't worry there is still a lot for all of you to read. I will keep updating as usual when I have the chance. Thank you all again for reviewing and I hope you enjoy the chapter! I do not own Harry Potter, I do however own the necklace mentioned in this chapter, though its not a real gem...

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Rachel walked over to it first, along with Mr. Weasley. Jess looked at it for a moment, wondering what lied ahead inside it for her. Mr. Weasley greeted his family, along with Harry and what looked like the typical blonde supermodel. This of course was Fleur Delacour, who was now engaged to the oldest brother of Ron, Bill. Her blonde hair danced around her as she ran up to take Mr. Weasley's cloak. Ron sighed in the background. Two years had passed since Fleur was a competitor in the Triwizard Tournament and still Ron was infatuated with her. Ginny on the other hand, hated her existence. This entire holiday Fleur had gotten on both Ginny and Mrs. Weasley's nerves. And of course she would if she treated them like rubbish and all of the male Weasley's and Harry like gold. Ginny sulked in her chair, until she saw a familiar head of brown hair. She jumped up and ran over. "Jess!" Ginny exclaimed while hugging her tightly.

"Hey, Gin, how have you been?" Jess asked casually like her popping up at the Burrow was completely normal.

"Not so good. Phelm has been an absolute menace. Driving me and mum up a wall."

"Phelm?"

"Yeah, Bill's fiancée." She said while motioning to Fleur, who was busy catering to Mr. Weasley.

"Fleur and Bill? I never would have saw that one coming." Jess commented while looking at her.

"Yeah well, I wish he would have chosen someone else. Just about anyone else actually."

"Isn't that a little harsh?"

"Nope."

Jess laughed softly. "So how is Ron taking the news?"

"He's mad but it gives him an excuse to stare at her."

"He's still infatuated with her?"

"Head over heels I'm afraid."

"That won't do." Jess said matter-of-factly.

"Of course it won't."

"And neither will Lavender." Jess piped in.

"You saw him with Lavender recently?"

"I didn't, Harry did. While we were on the Hogwarts Express going back home."

Ginny wrinkled her nose in distaste. "I never liked that girl much. She's too clingy."

"I've noticed, I wonder what Ron sees in her this time."

"The fact that she's a decent looking girl and that she can kiss." Ginny supplied as an answer.

Jess laughed rather loudly. "That's terrible Gin."

"Yet it still is truthful."

"He should be with Hermione but she's way out of his league."

Ginny raised an eyebrow. "Oh? Do tell."

"Well, think of this way. She had Viktor Krum after her. Viktor Krum, who was ironically, Ron's idol until the Yule Ball when he saw him with Hermione."

"Very true, but do you think we could ever get Ron and Hermione together?"

"If we pull the right strings, yes."

"What are you saying?"

"I'm saying, that maybe we should re-introduce Krum into the picture. With him as a potential threat, Ron might shape up."

"Jess, that is evil, cunning, and dare I say it, bloody brilliant. You sure you don't belong in Slytherin?"

"I'm positive Gin. I would never fit in, in Slytherin. I'm a Gryffindor all the way. I bet their first kiss would be adorable."

"Oh very! We'd have to get a picture of it."

"Speaking of kissing. A certain guy would like to kiss his newly arrived girlfriend." Harry said casually, while sneaking up behind the pair.

Ginny jumped from his suddenness. "Harry! You scared me!"

He laughed softly. "Sorry, Gin, that wasn't my intention."

Jess smiled at him. "Surprised to see me?"

"Very, but pleased at the same time." Harry walked over to her and gave her a kiss. "How did you get here?"

"Rachel and I passed our apparation tests today. I wrote Mr. Weasley about a week ago, telling him I'd like to visit, but to keep it as a surprise."

"Well I'm glad."

"I'm just glad I get to see you on your birthday."

"That is a bonus isn't?"

Harry smiled and led her into the living room. "I was just about to send off Hedwig too. Now I won't have to."

"You got me something, didn't you?"

"Of course I did, how could I not?" Harry sat down on the couch and patted the seat next to him. Jess sat down as well and waited. "Now I know you wouldn't want something too fast. So, I got a bit of an older model. Plus, I knew you'd kill me if I spent too much on you."

She smiled at him. "You're right about that."

"Consider it a late Christmas present and an on time birthday present. Happy Birthday, Jess." Harry pulled out the new Nimbus 2000, with a red ribbon on it.

"You got me a broom?!" Jess looked at him with the biggest grin on her face. Soon it faded and Jess looked at him with concern. "Wait, how much did this cost?"

Harry laughed off the question. "Like I said, its an older model, but its still very reliable. After all I had one before the Whomping Willow ate it. And it's a birthday and Christmas gift. So in actuality, I didn't spend that much."

"Oh you…" Jess smiled and kissed him. "Thank you, Harry. I've always wanted one."

Harry gave her a lopsided grin. "Don't mention it."

"Did you get the gift I sent you?"

"The polish kit will do wonders for my broom. I've already used up the one Hermione gave me on my Nimbus, before it went to meet its maker."

Jess smiled and snuggled up to him as Harry put an arm around her. "I'm glad I'm here."

"So am I Jess. I've missed you."

Harry smiled and placed a soft kiss on her lips. Jess kissed him back and soon the pair was snogging. But to Jess, it wasn't as fulfilling as it use to be. Not since Draco kept entering her mind. Soon Mrs. Weasley conjured up everyone on the kitchen, where she had made a beautiful cake of the Gryffindor crest, for Jess' birthday. Around the edges were seventeen candles. Jess sat down in the middle of everyone as they sang to her. She closed her eyes as she tried to think of a wish.

This task seemed more difficult than she thought it would. She could easily wish for Voldemort's death, but she knew that, that was only in his and Harry's hands. Suddenly the thought of the blonde Slytherin boy came into her head. She thought long and hard on what that was supposed to mean. Finally, she came up with her wish. _I wish it would be revealed to me what role Draco will have in my life, big or small. Though lately, it feels like its getting bigger._ Jess then blew out the candles and got everyone of them blown out all at once. Harry bent down and kissed her cheek as Mrs. Weasley cut up the cake. Jess picked up one of the candles and looked at it. The candle happened to be blue, blue like Draco's eyes. Jess closed hers for a moment. _I hope my wish comes true_, she thought to herself before opening her eyes. Little did she know that soon enough, it would.

Once cake was served and everyone had, had their fair share, Mrs. Weasley directed them into the living room, where Jess was to open her presents. "Oh you guys didn't have to do this." Jess replied humbly while sitting down.

"Its no trouble dear. Ginny and Ron would have been upset with us if we didn't." Mrs. Weasley replied with a warm smile.

Everyone gathered around as Jess opened her presents. First she showed them what Harry had gotten for her and then began. She got a present from Ginny, one form Ron, as well as one from Mr. and Mrs. Weasley, also one from Rachel. When Jess had opened them all, she thanked each one of them, as well as gave them a hug. In Harry's case a kiss was added as well. Jess dug into her purse for her camera. She thought she had grabbed it when she pulled out a small cream colored box. The box had a green ribbon on it.

"Someone must have snuck this into my purse." Jess mused aloud as she looked at it.

"Well come on Jess, open it." Rachel instructed her.

"Did you put it in there?"

"Honestly, no I didn't."

Jess looked at it for a second longer before untying the ribbon. She took the card and saved it for after she opened the box, her curiosity getting the best of her. She lifted off the lid to see that the box was line with velvet. This made her all the more curious as she looked down into the box. And once she caught a glimpse of it she gasped as her breath was taken away.

There in the box laid one of the most beautiful necklaces she had ever seen. On the thing metal chain was a pure silver dragon. What dazzled her most was what the dragon was holding in its claws. A beautiful round emerald was clutched in the dragon's claws. By the looks of it, it was a real emerald. Jess lightly ran a finger over the dragon and the jewel. She was bewildered as to who bought this for her and who could possibly afford it.

Everyone else in the room waited to see what it was. They guessed jewelry due to the box it was in. Jess held it up and a couple gasps came from a few of the females present. Jess gently set it down in its box and noticed the card. She opened the tiny card and read.

_Jessica,_

_Happy Birthday, may your dreams and wishes come true._

_Love, D.M._

Jess blinked in shock. D.M.? That had to be who she thought it was as tears came to her eyes. "My parents bought this for me." The D obviously stood for dad, and the M had to stand for mom. Or at least that's what she thought. Jess had no idea that she was completely and utterly wrong.

Harry took the necklace out of the box. "Do you want me to put it on you, Jess?"

Her thoughts were jarred away from her parents and moved to the here and now. "Thanks Harry, I'd appreciate it." She gave him a soft smile.

"If you could turn around and move your hair out of the way, that would be great."

"Of course I can." Jess turned her back to him as she moved her russet hair to her front. Harry smiled and put the metal chain around her neck. The metal felt cool across her neck. The dragon rested on her chest perfectly, as if it was meant to be there. Jess fingered the jewel subconsciously throughout the rest of the night, still surprised that her parents had somehow managed to afford it.

Not long after Draco had sat back down at the table he had picked out for him and his father, Lucius came back. He didn't bother sitting and instead stared at Draco. "We're leaving, now." Draco stood up at once, as if he was forced to. They then disapparated back to the iron gates that first greeted them at their house. Lucius quickly walked towards the house and Draco followed. When they arrived inside the house Lucius turned toward his son. "Put on some decent clothes, we have company arriving soon." He barked in an icy tone.

Draco took this as a hint that he should go to his room. Without a minutes hesitation Draco made his way up the stairs. He could tell one thing by his father's mannerisms. Whoever was coming was important and had a lot of power. Draco dressed in his best outfit, which of course was all black. He slicked back his platinum blonde hair for good measure, knowing that his father would be more accepting of his he looked that way. After checking for any signs of untidiness Draco went back down the stairs and to the main living room, where both of his parents were waiting. He looked over to his mother to discover that she looked very uneasy. Lucius on the other hand looked pleased and as though someone had stroked his ego. Draco sat down in a leather couch across from them and waited patiently for their guest.

With a sudden cracking noise their visitor arrived in the room. The man wore a long black cloak that covered his entire being. Even the hood was up so Draco couldn't see his face. He figured it was a Death Eater. That is until his father fell to his knees. Draco then instantly paled.

The man pulled back his hood and revealed his unusually pale face. His nose was reduced to two slits and his eyes were a bright red. It was just as Draco had feared. Their special guest was none other than Lord Voldemort.

"My lord it is an honor to have you here." Lucius said as if he was in awe. Draco felt the need to gag at his father's submission, but refrained from doing so.

Voldemort said nothing in return and instead turned and faced Draco. Their eyes met and Draco felt the coldest shiver run down his spine. He felt himself slipping from the couch and landing on his knees. "Draco Malfoy, just who I was hoping to see." Voldemort commented with a wicked grin. He turned back to Lucius. "It seems as though you have done as I asked, Lucius."

"Of course my lord. It is always my aim to serve you." Lucius replied while bowing his head low.

The Dark Lord turned back to Draco. "My how you've grown. Almost a legal wizard if I'm correct, right?" His voice sounded almost sweet and caring. It made Draco all the more suspicious as he simply nodded. "I suppose you deserve an explanation as to why I'm here." Voldemort commented as he began pacing the room. "As you know your father if one of my followers. And in the past I have trusted him with one very important assignment, one that he could not fail at. As you surely know he did indeed fail, and it disappointed me greatly." He paused here and faced Lucius, who shrunk as the mere mention of his failure. Draco knew what he meant, the diary that he gave to Ginny Weasley back in his second year. It was Lucius' job to make sure that the Chamber of Secrets was opened and that the sixteen year old memory of Tom Riddle saw Harry and defeated him. But of course as usual Potter saved the day, and Lucius failed.

"Then you should also know that he is not in my good graces. But I being the kind ruler I am am giving him one more chance to prove himself loyal and useful to me. Draco, this task is bestowed onto you. If you fail the punishment will be great, if you fail I will have no choice but to kill all three of you." He said this in such a calm voice it was frightening and worst of all, believable.

Draco felt another shiver travel down his spine. He knew that Voldemort would keep his word. This is what convinced him that whatever Voldemort asked of him, he must succeed. Draco looked over and noticed his mother. He couldn't have her die because of his father's failure. Narcissa was the only person he could sincerely say loved him and cared for him. Growing up the way he did, Draco's mother was his entire reason worth living for. She was the reason he got up every day and continued living the life he had. It was Narcissa's words that gave him courage to press on. It was her faith in hope of escaping this that fueled Draco's hope. He looked at Voldemort determined. "What must I do?" He asked, all traces of fear were gone in that one brief moment.

"Before the next term is up, I need you to kill Albus Dumbledore."

Draco looked at him in shock. Sure, he had never really liked Dumbledore, but to kill him. Was he really capable of killing someone? But then he thought of his mother being killed instead and bristled. A wave of nausea hit him hard in the pit of his stomach that it rendered Draco numb. What was he supposed to do? Either way an innocent person's blood would be spilt. In one scenario though, Draco would be killed as well. Draco could have cared less it Voldemort killed his father, it was himself and his mother he worried about. But without Dumbledore, Hogwarts wouldn't be safe, and that would mean the muggle-borns wouldn't be safe. Not that he cared about them. Well, all but one. The thought of Jess being unsafe made Draco's heart pound. He remembered back to the one instance when she was in danger. Draco felt all the emotions he had felt that night when he saw Zabini holding her unconscious body and kissing her bubble up again. It made him enraged as well as sick to his stomach. After the long silence, Voldemort looked at him. Draco swallowed hard before looking up into his piercing red eyes. "I'll do it."

"Splendid, that's settled then." Voldemort pulled back up his hood. "Do not fail me." And with that he apparated away. The Malfoy family was left there with a deadly silence starting to creep up in the room.

Once he was sure the Dark Lord was gone, Lucius stood back up and brushed off his robes and looked over to Draco. "Draco, I need to have a word with you in my study." He then walked out of the room and down the hall.

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Alright chapter 49 is up! I will try and get chapter 50 up as soon as I can. I know Voldemort hasn't been seen at all in this story, so hopefully his presence was welcomed for a brief period of time... Like I said in the note before the chapter I have finished writing the story. But I would estimate there is at least ten more chapters in this story, and thats a low estimate. I don't know the exact numbers since I never sectioned them off before putting them online. Notice that I am still keeping some of the plot lines that are in book six. I think its important to have some of the serious plot lines still in tact. Anyways, thank you all again as I said before. Please read and review! Until next chapter...


	50. The Wrath of Lucius

Hello everyone! I know its been a long while since I have updated, and well I thought for Christmas I would be kind enough to finally put something up! The reason as to why I haven't in such a while is I have been terribly busy and now I finally have a couple days off ot relax and get stuff done that I want to get done. School is out for a month now so I will have more time to update and write on the sequel, which I need to work on. The reason this one is kind of short is because well, its 1:20 in the morning of Christmas day and my mind is just about mush right now, but I knew I had to put up a chapter. It doens't help that I've been watching Dragonball Z like a freak all day today.... As I'm typing this, its on in the background. Hahaha,.... Well here we go with chapter 50! I do not own Harry Potter!

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Draco stood slowly and before following his father down the hall he walked over to his mother, who was still sitting in her chair. She looked beyond pale and her gaze was vacant. It seemed to Draco that she had known this was coming and was emotionally drained. Draco placed a hand on her shoulder. "I'll be fine mum. I promise that I will succeed."

Narcissa's eyes were full of tears as she hugged her only son tightly. "I can't lose you, Draco."

"I know." He replied softly. "And you won't."

"Promise me you'll try and stay safe." Narcissa looked up at him.

"I will mum. You need to do the same."

"I have for all these years. It is you that's in danger."

"I know but I'll make it. After all I'm a Malfoy."

She smiled softly and stood. "You shouldn't keep your father waiting. You know what happens if you keep him waiting too long."

Draco nodded and headed to the door. He walked down the long hallway, until he stood before the last door on his left, his father's study. His fist was suspended in mid-air as he went to rap his knuckles on the door. Memories of past visits to his father's office left Draco debating on whether or not he should knock or not. As a child Draco had grown to hate his father's study. A trip to his study usually meant some sort of beating was in order. After a few more moments of reflecting on past meetings to his father's study, Draco reluctantly knocked.

"Come in." His father's voice said impassively.

Draco opened the door slowly and walked in. He stood in the middle of the room, knowing not to sit until told. "You wished to see me father?"

Lucius' hair whirled around from behind his desk so that he was facing Draco. Without a single noise he rose from his chair. "This task Lord Voldemort has given you is very important. You should feel proud that he trusted you to do it. I know you though Draco, and it worries me."

Draco's right eyebrow rose in curiosity. He was barely able to hide his shock of his father saying he was worried about him. "What do you mean?" He asked instead, knowing that was a safe question to ask.

His father walked away from his desk and closer to Draco. "What worries me is your inability to follow orders."

Draco couldn't help but looked confused. He had done nothing wrong the entire time he was there for the holidays. Draco had accepted Voldemort's task, though how he hated it. "Father, I don't understand. What have I-"

He was cut off by his father snarling. "You know exactly what I'm talking about. You disobeyed me, when I clearly said not to."

Draco racked his brain for any possible explanation. What tiny insignificant thing had he done to make his father mad? When he came up with nothing he just looked at him and waited for him to continue.

"I saw you this afternoon talking with that mudblood, when I warned you what the consequences would be if I ever saw you associate with trash, ever again." Lucius' tone of voice was pure ice. For affect he slammed his fist on the desk,

As if on cue, Draco began to back up towards the door. How could he have possibly seen him with Jess when the place was beyond crowded? It had to have been his hair. Draco had always been recognizable as a child due to his platinum blonde hair. He stood out like a beacon of light to those lost at sea. But when Draco had made his move to go and talk to Jess he had specifically made sure that Lucius was too enrapt in his conversation with his fellow death eater to even cast a glance in his direction. Obviously, he had underestimated his father, which he should have known was never a smart thing to do.

He wasn't quick enough as Lucius pulled out his wand and pointed it at him. "Don't run away from me." His gaze was stern and commanding at the same time. It was like Draco was being pulled back into the room by his father's piercing gaze. That gaze would forever haunt him since Draco had seen it so many times.

The next thing Draco said was bold, too bold. He stood rooted to the ground and said. "I'm not afraid of you."

Lucius' response was a snobbish cold laughter that filled the air with chills. "I'm afraid you aren't very convincing boy." He replied snidely while advancing on him.

He was right as Draco couldn't keep his footing and stepped back. Draco silently cursed to himself. He was scared of his father, and for good reason. Lucius was unpredictable, cunning, and in all sense of the word, evil. He had hurt Draco too many times as a child to instill fear in him at an early age. As Draco grew the physical abuse got worse until Draco could finally escape it at Hogwarts. No matter what his father made him say about Hogwarts, deep down it was his safe haven. It was a ticket away from his father over nine months of the year. But with his haven came downsides. When Draco was at home the arguments they got into escalated as well as the punches and magic.

While Draco was dwelling on the past Lucius took the opportunity to punch Draco hard enough to have him stumble back a couple steps. Draco wiped the back of his hand on his face. When he withdrew his hand he noticed blood was stained on his pale hand. In one swift movement Lucius flicked his wand and calmly said. "Levicorpus." Draco was instantly shot into the air. In mid-air he was turned upside down as if he was being hung by his ankle. Lucius then walked up to him and gazed up at him. A smirk was on his face as he promptly dropped Draco to the ground hard. He fell on the ground hard and tried to scramble back onto his feet. A wand met the tip of his nose as Draco looked up at his father hovering over him. "I wouldn't waste the effort… Imperius!"

Draco's body became stiff for a moment. A second later he stood under Lucius directing him to. Draco tried to fight back with all his might but Lucius was putting his all into the spell. Suddenly Draco's arm rose as his hand curled into a tight fist. With the flick of his father's wand Draco was punching himself as hard as he could in the gut. After half a dozen punches he fell onto his knees while panting for breath.

Lucius came over and smacked him again. "Get up." Draco remained on his knees which resulted with another firm slap across his face. "I said get up boy!" Lucius flicked his wand and Draco shot up in pain. "Dodge these if you can." Lucius picked up a few random objects and began throwing them at Draco while commanding him to stay still. It seemed as though that with every object thrown Draco missed them by a hair. His father was laughing mercilessly, his laugh sounding maniacal and demented. As though Lucius was a deranged mad man getting cheap thrills at others expense. His laugh became louder and louder until it filled the room with a noise so unbearable to Draco that he squeezed his eyes shut and cringed.

Lucius grabbed a heavy nook and threw it directly as Draco's stomach. The blow sent Draco down on one knee, but with a flick of Lucius' wand he was erect again. The next item he threw was an iron slab carved into the shape of a dragon's head that stood at the edge of one of the shelves of his bookcase. The wind was knocked out of Draco as he plummeted face first into the floor. He gasped for breath like a fish gulped when out of water. Lucius flipped him around on the floor so that he was looking up at the ceiling. "Now tell me, why do you insist on having that trash in your presence?" Lucius spat with the utmost impatience.

Draco didn't say a thing. He blocked his mind off to his father as he could feel a sensation of a fingernail slowly peeling away the skin of an orange. The orange was Draco's every thought. He put up many stone walls and barriers like if he was guarding his fortress. It was a good thing Draco had had professor Snape secretly teach him how to defend his mind, that art being known as Occulmency.

"You leave me no choice… Crucio!" Lucius bellowed with a sick sense of glee. Draco cried out in pain as his body writhed and twisted on the floor. The pain was unbearable. It was as it someone was prying off all his fingernails, sawing off his leg and scalping him all at the same time. He felt his head thud hard against a surface. Blood oozed out of his forehead and ran down his face and got into his right eyes so that he could not see. Draco frantically covered the gash on his forehead as he still contorted on the floor in pain. As more time went on the pain became worse. Lucius had him bashing against everything he could think of. Tears stung in Draco's eyes as he could no longer hold them back. The ones in his right eye were red, a mixture of salty tears and blood. Draco was gasping for breath while he grappled for the carpet with his other hand. Hours seemed to pass by as Draco's pain was excruciating, when only minutes had passed by. Never before had Lucius tortured him this long. He had always given up eventually saying that Draco was too weak to endure more. Yet today was different.

Suddenly Draco stopped writhing around on the floor and instead choked out a short breath. He looked down at his waist and saw the intrusion. Lucius had thrown a dagger at Draco and purposely missed. Yet the dagger landed on the floor and to Draco's misfortune, right in the path of his writhing. The dagger's tip had sunk into his side as his blood flowed out of the wound as though a pipe had sprung a small leak. Draco took both of his hands and pulled out the crimson tipped weapon. He groaned in agony as every one of his muscles cried out in pain.

Lucius stood over him and quickly handed him a potion. Draco knew exactly what it was and did not accept it. If Draco drank it, it would hide all of the evidence of what his father had done to him. In the past Lucius had forced it on him, making him drink it. Draco had done what he was told out of fear of what Lucius would do to him if someone found out. But not today, today someone would see what he had done and Lucius would pay the consequences. Lucius stepped on his foot, trying to get Draco to yell in pain and forcibly shove it down his throat. But Draco didn't budge. He kept his mouth locked shut.

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Holy crap guys! This was chapter FIFTY! Hopefully it was interesting enough and kept you at the edge of your seat! Okay, I admit, I ended it there because suspense is fun. Mwahahaha, omg Vegeta is toally evily laughing as I typed that.... CREEPY! Anyways, I did mention DBZ was on in the background. Well, I hope all of you liked this chapter, even though it was short, but it was action packed! Right? I'll try and update before the new year, seeing as though you'll kill me if you don't. Anyways, I'd like to say thanks to all of you for sticking with me so far and giving me so much support! I hope you all have a very Merry Christmas! I hope you all have quality time with your families and get whatever your heart desires as far as presents go! I know I did, with my five DBZ seasons... Let me know what you guys get if you want to share that is! I'm interested in what you guys get for Christmas! How about this, if you want to that is, tell me your favorite gift you recieve this Christmas! Well I better go for now, since I can't think of anything else to say. Please read and review! Until next chapter!


	51. Draco's Favorite Place inthe Whole World

Hello everyone! I know it has been a while since I have last posted, and for that I apologize, but there have been some events that have rendered me busy. As you all know the Christmas season is busy to begin with. Try having your birthday six days after Christmas (New Years Eve) as well. Also add in working a lot, and the possible kidney infection and you have yourself a fun, busy couple of weeks! Yeah, the whole kidney infection thing, definitely not fun. Today is my last day of taking anti-biotics for it. Yay! And lucky for both you and I my work schedule has now slowed down and less hours. Which makes me a happy person as well as you, because I can work on my stories and put them up faster! Huzzah! I have finally started re-working on the sequel for this folks. Yes, there will be a sequel. Did you honestly think I could write only one story about this situation? If you thought yes, you don't know me. To make up for my absence this one is longer, I might try and crank another out before work today, we'll just have to see. So without further delaying here is the chapter! I do not own Harry Potter.

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The soft creaking of a door sounded behind them. Narcissa looked on in horror and screamed loudly. She rushed over to her son lying on the floor in a pool of his own blood. Narcissa gently cradled his head in her arms and grabbed out her wand. She looked up sharply at her husband. "What have you done?!" She kissed in a whisper. Her voice sounded like venom, seeping into Lucius' very being. She stood and smacked him hard across the face with tears streaming down her face. With a flick of her wand Draco's body lifted off the ground and hovered about five feet in the air. He began to quickly float out of the room and down the hall. Narcissa rushed after him. Draco was brought to his bed while Narcissa pressed on his wounds to stop the bleeding. Once he was stable Narcissa took it upon herself to apparate both her and Draco to the outside perimeters of Hogwarts. She rushed Draco inside and brought him to the hospital wing.

Madam Pomfrey took one look at him and gasped. "What happened to him??"

Narcissa still had tears running down her cheeks as she barely choked out. "His father."

"Oh dear, the poor thing."

"Where is Severus?" She asked abruptly.

Madam Pomfrey looked at her. "Excuse me?"

"Where is Severus?!" Narcissa demanded in a shrill voice.

"Dumbledore requested that he spend the holidays at his home."

She nodded curtly and headed over to Draco's bedside. "Please my baby, stay safe." She kissed his brow softly and exited the room, intent on finding Snape.

As Draco looked at the wound in his side he knew he could just tell Lucius why he liked having Jess around. But he knew that, that would end up risking her well being. As his father's assault stopped Draco felt a great weight lift off of him. The Cruciatus curse gave the one subjected to it a sense of being compressed tightly. He was finally able to breathe but at the same time he was getting woozy.

He thought back to earlier in the day before Voldemort had come over, back when he was in the Leaky Cauldron. He was thinking about the gift he had gotten her and how he wanted to tell her it was from him, but he knew he couldn't. It was that luck had it that, that very same say Jess had walked in while Draco was there. He felt his heart skip a beat as he suddenly became nervous. What if she didn't like it, he had thought. There was only one way to find out though, by giving it to her. Draco discretely went over to her and knocked her over, taking that one moment to stash the necklace in her purse.

When she had told him that is was her birthday today, Draco found it ironic that Voldemort, the darkest wizard ever, shared her birthday. They were completely different. Voldemort was cold and cruel, is possible he was worse than Draco's father. For he even brought Lucius to fear. Voldemort was a tyrant that would kill as many people as he needed to get his way, without a second thought. Jess on the other hand was warm and kind. Her very being was beautiful inside and out. Her laugh was infectious and her smile melted hearts. Jess was a princess, sweet and gorgeous, helping out anyone she could, even if it might hurt her in the long run. It was this and more that made Draco realize that he liked her. Liked her? No, he loved her.

Draco couldn't deny it any longer. He loved her and he knew it. Everything about her he loved. From her looks, to her charming personality, to the way she walked, the way she talked. Form the top of her head to the tip of her toes he loved her. Draco also realized that not only did he want her, but he needed her. He needed her to be there for him. To comfort him and to help him through what he now had to do. Draco never asked anything from anyone, but now there was one thing he asked for, and that was Jess' love.

Narcissa ran down the length of a paved road in the dead of night. Her cloak rustled softly behind her as she quickly ran besides the dirty and dingy river in the very slums of London. Most of the buildings were missing windows or doors. Or the buildings had had boarded up, but she paid no attention to them as she continued running.

A faint pop sounded and another woman chased after her. "Narcissa! Cissy, you can't do this!" She yelled as she ran after her.

"I have made my choice Bella, and I'm sticking to it!" Narcissa replied while still running.

The woman named Bella caught up to her and grabbed her arm. "You can't tell anyone. We were told not to tell anyone about what the Dark Lord had planned."

Narcissa broke free of her and continued running. "But I must guarantee my son's safety! You don't understand Bella, he's my only son."

"And he will not fail, which is why you shouldn't worry!" Bella yelled while continuing her chase.

"Then how do you explain tonight? Look what happened to my son!"

"Cissy, you're over reacting. Those are just a few cuts and bruises, nothing that couldn't be fixed quickly."

Narcissa's head snapped back as she continued running. "Over reacting?! My son had a gaping wound in his side from a dagger. Draco's head was spilt open above his eye. Bella, Lucius almost killed our own son!" She cried out in anguish, almost stopping and collapsing to her knees. But she pressed on, she had to get to Snape.

"Are you sure this is the right thing to do?" Bella asked with doubt evident in her voice.

"It is the only thing I can do for Draco." The pair soon arrived at an old worn down house and Narcissa knocked on the door. Bella cursed, trying to convince her that they should turn back.

"Cissy please, listen to your sister. Lets go back."

"No!" Narcissa barked as the door opened.

Snape looked at the pair in shock, as Narcissa's hood had fallen down and let him see her face. "Narcissa!" He opened the door wider to see her sister Bellatrix Lestrange.

"Severus, I need to speak with you." She replied urgently.

"But of course." He led the pair in and offered them drinks. Bellatrix took her sweet time drilling Snape as to where his allegiance aligned. "To the Dark Lord." He proposed as a toast and the sisters clinked their glasses against his. Narcissa bean telling Snape what had happened to Draco and where he was right now. Lastly, she mentioned the task that was burdened onto him.

"Draco should be proud and carry it as a great honor. And he has accepted it. Narcissa that should be enough proof to you that he wishes to do his masters will." Bellatrix urged her, not budging an inch in sympathy.

Narcissa begged Snape to somehow convince Voldemort that he didn't need Draco to do the task for him. That Draco was far too young. After all, he was only sixteen. He wasn't of proper legal age to do magic outside of school. What made Voldemort think he would succeed if he couldn't even do magic outside of Hogwarts, though try as she might Snape did not budge. Narcissa collapsed into a fit of tears that made Snape steady her and hand her more wine.

He pondered for a moment, thinking of what he could possibly do to ease Narcissa's pain and at the same time help Draco with his task. It took him a few moments before he was able to think of something. "There is one thing I can do to help Draco."

Narcissa perked up and looked over at Snape. Relief flashed over her worrisome face. "What is it Severus, what is it you can do?"

"An unbreakable vow."

Narcissa nodded, "would you swear to protect him Severus? Would you make the unbreakable vow?" She asked while grabbing both of his hands in hers.

Bellatrix laughed out of distrust in Snape. "Oh sure he'll try and protect Draco. If its convenient for him at the time that is! Don't trust him Narcissa. I still say he's waffling in loyalties." Bellatrix looked from her sister over to Snape, distrust as well as distaste in her eyes.

Narcissa didn't pay any attention to her sister. She was desperate. "Please Severus? Will you make the unbreakable vow? Draco is my only son. I can't have him unprotected while he has this task. If something were to happen to him, it would be the death of me." She looked up pitifully at Snape, as though her life was in the balance and was hanging on whatever answer he gave her.

Snape took one second to think it over. He looked back at Narcissa in her pitiful state. He did not give Bellatrix one glance that wasn't absolutely needed. "Yes Narcissa, I will make the unbreakable vow. Perhaps Bellatrix would consent to be our bonder."

Bellatrix had been laughing a few seconds prior. Her mouth then hung open in shock as Snape leaned down opposite of Narcissa and grasped her right hand. He looked up at Bellatrix reluctantly. "You'll need your wand for this."

Bellatrix growled slightly. She was still shocked that Snape agreed to her sister's plea. She stepped closer to them and grabbed out her wand. She was instructed to come closer to them by Snape. Bellatrix walked closer until she stood over them and placed the tip of her wand on their linked hands.

Narcissa opened her mouth to speak. "Will you, Severus, watch over my son Draco, as he attempts to fulfill the Dark Lord's wishes?"

"I will." Snape said in reply.

A thin flicker of flame came out form Bellatrix's wand and wound its way around Snape and Narcissa's linked hand like a hot wire. "And will you to the best of your ability protect him from harm?"

"I will." A second flicker of flame did the same thing but interlinked with the first, which made a glowing chain.

"And should you prove necessary, if it seems Draco will fail… Will you carry out the deed that the Dark Lord has ordered Draco to perform?"

After a moments silence Snape answered. "I will." A last flicker wound around the previously two existing flames around their clasped hands. It looked like a thick rope that was made out of fire.

Once the task was done the two parted and unclasped hands. Bellatrix was still in shock as Snape issued them to the door. You could tell on Narcissa's face that she was semi-less worried. Yet a mother could never truly stop worrying about her son. Narcissa thought of Draco laying there in the hospital wing all alone. It broke her heart that she could not be there with him. The house elves were to bring Draco's trunk as well as anything else he needed to Hogwarts for her. Instead she was to go home and deal with the man she called her husband, just after he had almost killed their one and only son. She had no idea what had provoked that incident. Surely Draco couldn't have done something that severe to get such a rise out of him. Whatever it was she would not be able to figure it out now. She just prayed that the unbreakable vow would really keep Draco safe. She could not lose him at any costs. Draco meant the world to her, which was the same way Draco felt about someone else.

Draco spent the rest of his holiday vacation in the hospital wing. He didn't even wake up until a full day after he had been brought there by his mother. A day of the New Year had already passed by the time Draco opened his eyelids the morning of January seconds. He looked up to a white ceiling and groaned. Draco knew that ceiling oh to well. After a long struggle Draco tried to sit up in bed. Just as he was accomplishing the task he felt a searing pain go up his side and made him crumple back in bed.

Madam Pomfrey had rushed over as soon as she saw movement from the corner of her eye. "You won't be able to do that for a little while yet."

"How long have I been here?" He asked, avoiding eye contact.

"You were brought here two nights ago by your mother. You had both of us scared to death! What happened?"

Realizing that he couldn't keep ignoring her, Draco caved in and looked up at her. "I'd prefer not to go into it. The only thing you need to know is that I'm here."

"But how did you get that wound in your side?"

"I'm not discussing that with you or anyone else. Now when can I get out of here?"

"I don't expect if will be soon. You have a lot of recovering to do."

"What do you mean it won't be soon?! I have a reputation to keep intact. I have to be out of here by the time everyone else gets back." Draco replied rather impatiently. She just didn't understand did she? It anyone found him in here they'd find out that he was weak. That Draco Malfoy wasn't as tough as they thought he was.

"Well they come back on Sunday night, and today is Friday. If you do as I say I might be able to get you out of here on Sunday afternoon."

"Not maybe, have to. What can I do?"

Madam Pomfrey sighed. Boys could be so difficult sometimes. She walked away for a moment and returned with a breakfast tray. "Eat and don't try to sit up again. You're going to need all of your strength."

Draco simply nodded and began eating his food. As he ate Draco noticed something, he couldn't feel that much pain. Only when he tried to move could he feel it. Madam Pomfrey had probably given him a potion that numbed most of the pain. He had a feeling that he'd feel it soon enough. Once he finished breakfast Draco laid his head on his pillow, suddenly feeling exhausted. He figured his pumpkin juice was spiked with a sleeping draught. His eyelids grew heavy and before Draco knew what hit him, he was fast asleep.

Late Sunday morning Draco woke up. As he sat up he felt every possible muscle in his body ache and tremble. The sharp pain in his side was still there, acting as though it was still freshly open. His head throbbed as well from the restless and pain ridden night he had endured. Sure enough the numbing potion had rendered itself useless about mid afternoon Saturday. The gash in his forehead still twinged distastefully as if Draco needed a reminder it was there. He looked around the room for Madam Pomfrey, hoping beyond hope he could go.

The medi-wtich bustled in and went over to Draco. "I still think you need to stay here a few days more."

"That won't do. I have to get out of here today before everyone gets here." Draco stood his ground.

After a few moments she caved in. "Alright, but under a few terms."

"Alright." Draco was never one to accept terms without hearing them, but he knew better than to continue pushing his limits with Madam Pomfrey.

"Absolutely no Quidditch this entire week." She started off.

"No problem."

"No straining yourself and no all nighters. You need plenty of rest. And no picking fights, though you should never do that in the first place."

"Alright, anything else?"

"Yes as a matter of fact." She left the room and returned a few minutes later with two small bottles. "You'll need to take these. Just one spoonful once a day before you go to bed."

"Is there even enough in these to do that for a week?"

"You won't need to worry about it today since I'll have you take them now before you leave. I want you to some here Friday afternoon so I can see how the progress is going. One of these it to help with the pain, and the other will make sure the wounds won't break open any time. Now" she produced two small cups. "Drink these and then see if you can stand."

He reluctantly downed the liquids. A warm sensation ran through his body as he could feel both liquids run down his throat. Draco then slowly swung his legs over the side of the bed. He sat there for a moment, hoping that the potions would start to take effect. Gingerly Draco placed one foot on the ground. After a couple seconds he did the same with his other foot. He took a deep breath before pushing himself onto his feet. Every single muscle and joint in Draco's body ached in protest. He gritted his teeth to suppress the yell he wished to let out.

Madam Pomfrey watched him closely. "Are you sure you want to do this?"

"I don't have much choice in the matter, I have to leave." He responded while slowly taking baby steps around the bed. With each footfall a new pain would rise up and try to make Draco surrender and crawl back in bed. Draco walked back around the bed and over to Madam Pomfrey who was holding the two containers he was supposed to take. "Now may I go? I've proven that I can walk."

"Every bit of me is regretting that I even gave you an option, but yes you may go."

Draco smirked and slowly made his way out of the hospital wing. His journey back to his room took three times as long as it normally did, which made sense between his walking speed which was no better than half of what it normally was and the few moments he had to lean against the wall and catch his breath. Once he reached the common room he began to long and agonizing task of climbing up the stairs up to his room. After what seemed like ages he opened the door to his room. To his pleasure, Draco noticed all of his belongings were there. He tucked the potions away so that Crabbe and Goyle wouldn't ask about them. Draco then made his way over to his welcoming bed. The instant he laid down Draco felt his eyelids droop. He had no idea that, that walk would exhaust him. How he was going to handle tomorrow he had no idea. With walking all over the large castle, Draco wished that he knew how to apparate and that people could apparate in Hogwarts. He felt his eyes close themselves as he drifted off into sleep.

The rest of the students arrived around dinner that night. Jess was glad to be back with all of her friends and back to the magical world she loved. Looking around the Great Hall she saw no sign of the vibrant haired Slytherin. _That's funny; I didn't see him on the train either. Probably just didn't want to deal with Crabbe and Goyle,_ Jess mused to herself while putting food on her plate.

The night progressed with little action. Ron had come over and as if nothing happened, started talking to all three of them again, even Hermione. Jess shook her head and focused on her dinner. Harry's mind was else ware. Spending Christmas with the Weasley's had been the dose of fun he needed. Though he had missed Jess, he didn't as much as he thought he would, having Ginny there. He looked over at the redheaded girl sitting beside her boyfriend Dean Thomas. Now more than ever, the pairing of those two seemed just wrong. Why he thought that, Harry didn't know. He merely shrugged it off as Ron began talking.

About fifteen minutes later Jess rose from her seat. "I'm going to turn in early tonight. I'll see you guys tomorrow morning." She gave Harry a half hearted kiss on the cheek and left. Sighing softly, Jess ran a hand through her hair while walking. Something was off between her and Harry and she knew what it was. It was sad to say that early on in their relationship, Jess had seen it coming. Harry and Ginny were like Ron and Hermione. Ginny was only hiding her still strong feelings for Harry by dating someone else. And to Jess, the same thing was happening with Harry. After he got over Cho, Jess knew that those feelings would develop. She was just the next thing after Ginny, since after all Jess had been single. But Harry was so sincere and he really did care for Jess, and she knew it. "But just as a friend." Jess whispered to herself as she was now aimlessly wandering the halls of the school, not knowing what she was looking for. But subconsciously she did. After five minutes of silence and walking, Jess halted at the top of a staircase. Looking down it she knew where it led, the dungeon. That's where she had Potions class, with Draco. _Draco? What does he have to do with this? _She pondered while looking down the staircase. A small voice broke out from her subconscious and said _everything_. Jess looked around, immobile, frozen in her spot. Everything? She pushed her legs to move and unstuck her from her spot. "I need sleep more than I thought." Jess whispered to herself as she headed in the direction of her common room. Her mind was racing as to why when she was upset she looked for Malfoy. _He's only make it worse_, she told herself. _That's all he ever does. Its his purpose in life to mess with people's heads and hurt their feelings._ The journey to the Gryffindor common room seemed to take forever. By the time Jess climbed up the steps to the girl's dormitory's they felt like lead weights, weighing her down. She quickly grabbed a shower and then slipped into her pajamas. After all school was in the morning and she needed her sleep. But it didn't come easy. Her mind recycled thoughts of Harry and Draco over and over again until she was so mentally exhausted she nearly passed out and fell asleep.

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You can tell something is going to happen, and soon can't you? I know you all are anticipating that moment. And of course, did you think Draco wouldn't be alright? Pssh, I love Draco to much to kill him. Unless its him dieing peacefully at the age of 103 or something. Anyways, the more reviews I see, the faster I will update! Lets try and get to 500 folks! We are almost there! Never thought I'd say that but its true! We should have some random party of something to celebrate! Dorky Harry Potter parties are my speciality, you should have been at my birthday if you ever wanted to attend one. hahahaha Anyways, Happy New Year! Since I forgot to say so, and please read and review!


	52. The New Beginning

Hello everyone! I'm back so soon! Well I don't have much to say since I just updated a couple days ago. So I will keep it short and sweet, thank you all for reviewing as usual and I do not own Harry Potter.

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Monday morning was in simplest terms, long. Jess woke up beyond exhausted. She didn't want to run into Harry or Draco. Curling up in bed and telling the world to go suck an egg sounded wonderful, but sadly she had classes. Slowly she dragged herself out of bed and made her way down to breakfast.

Draco on the other hand decided to skip classes today. He was sure that the professors were informed of his mishap over the holidays and would understand. He slept through all of breakfast and his double Transfiguration class. Around lunch time, Draco decided it would be better to make his presence known at the lunch table then starve. Gingerly Draco got out of bed. After a long struggle of putting on his uniform Draco took small steps out of the room and down the stairs. At the bottom of them he ended up taking a break. The safest way to get to the Great Hall would be through the secret passages around the school. This would ensure people not asking him about why he was so tender and sore on his feet, as well as everywhere else on his body. He made his way to the exit of the common room and took a right. About halfway through lunch Draco opened the doors with his wand to further ward off pain. He figured he had enough of it when every step he took sapped his energy and made him want to yell out in pain.

When Draco had sat down Pansy practically launched herself at him. She narrowly missed causing him the utmost pain when Draco slightly leaned back. She pouted, "Draco why did you do that?"

"I have my reasons. Which one would you like to hear?" He retorted in his usual drawl.

Pansy ignored this comment. "How were you holidays?"

"Dull, lots of Quidditch practice." He figured if he mentioned that it would explain the constant throbs of pain that coursed through his body every time he moved.

Pansy giggled thinking of how hot Draco would be all sweaty while practicing Quidditch. He looked sharply at her. "What Parkinson?"

"Oh nothing." She smiled sweetly, too sweetly. Draco had an idea where her mind had ventured to but decided not to explore it, knowing he'd most likely vomit.

"Why weren't you in Transfiguration Drakie?"

"Didn't feel like it."

She giggled again. "You're so sexy when you break the rules."

He felt the need to gag but repressed it. Instead he looked Pansy in the eye and gave her a sexy smirk. Pansy had to grip the table so she didn't fall over.

Draco smirked triumphantly and started dishing up some food. He hadn't realized until now how hungry he was. Draco ate enough to almost rival Ron if they were to have a food eating contest. Now that he had a full stomach Draco felt marginally better. It was the sight of a brunette Gryffindor that made him completely forget about his injuries.

Jess was at the Gryffindor table discussing with Ron. Hermione and Harry were having a separate conversation beside them. His eyes honed in on the necklace around Jess' neck. There was the gift he got her around her neck. Draco's face broke out into a boyish grin, which almost made Pansy swoon. Well at least that was going for him, Draco-1, Scarhead-0.

Jess laughed as Ron explained one of Fred and George's new prank products. "I'll have to get one when they start carrying them." She looked over casually at the Slytherin table. A wave of relief came over her. He was alright, he wasn't being held hostage by his father and he was at school. That's all that mattered to her. A smile graced her face as she continued talking with Ron about what else his twin brothers had in store for the wizarding world.

Once lunch ended the students went on with their classes for the day. Draco slipped out and went back up to his room, content that he saw Jess. He had enlisted Pansy in getting all of his assignments for him, which of course she did gladly. Draco lounged around in his room, dreading the fact that he would have to show up for classes tomorrow.

Tuesday sure did prove interesting for a select group of students. After class around dinner time Harry, Ron and Jess were walking down a corridor when they heard a muffled noise. Ron pulled back a curtain and found his baby sister full out snogging with Dean Thomas.

"What are you doing?!" He shouted at the top of his lungs.

"What does it look like to you Ron? Its called snogging. Ever heard of it?" Ginny retorted back.

"You shouldn't be doing that! You're too young!"

"I am not too young, Ronald Weasley! For Merlin's sake I'm sixteen!"

Dean looked completely embarrassed. He grinned nervously and tugged on Ginny's sleeve. "Come on Ginny, lets go to the common room or something."

"You go if you want. I need to have a word with my brother."

Dean left without a moment's hesitation. Harry looked pleased to see him distancing himself from Ginny. He felt something crawl into his guy when he saw the pair kissing. The creature was currently trying to eat its way through Harry's stomach and out to Dean so it could kill him.

"Ron I can date who I want, when I want and you have no business in the matter!" Ginny replied while looking at Ron angrily.

"People will think you're a… with that mentality! I need to protect you from people like him!" Ron defended himself.

"Thinking I'm a, what Ron?!" She shot back.

"He doesn't mean anything Gin." Jess finally spoke.

"He's just jealous because he never gets any!"

"What?! That's a lie!" Ron yelled back.

"I'm surprised Lavender let you kiss her. If she had a brain she would have ran in the other direction!" The pair pulled out their wands and Harry stood in-between them as the yelling continued. Jess couldn't take it anymore and left quickly.

She knew it was over. Harry had fully come to grips with his feelings for Ginny and she knew it. _They'll be happier together than Harry and I ever were_, she bitterly thought to herself. Jess went up to the common room and sat in front of the fire. Her mind completely zoned out as she watched the lick of flames dance around, entrancing her. It must have been hours later when she snapped out of it. Hermione sat next to her, placing a hand on her shoulder.

"Are you alright Jess?" She asked, her brown eyes filled with concern.

"I'm fine Hermione. Ron and Ginny are just fighting and I couldn't deal with it."

"Oh, would you like to go to the kitchens? You missed dinner."

"I'd like that." Both of the girls stood and made their way to the kitchen, which temporarily got Jess' mind off of the prospect of having to break up with Harry. She'd have to find the right time and think things through before she carried it out. But for now she could just enjoy a quiet evening, hanging out with Hermione. When they got back from the kitchens the two girls went up to the room they shared and ate while working on their homework. Once they were done they talked just the two of them. Jess always enjoyed her one on one conversation's with Hermione. The pair understood each other so well it was comforting. It was also a nice escape from the drama and how stupid boys can be. They went to bed late, having too much fun catching up.

Wednesday morning Jess woke up and got dressed. She walked down to the Great Hall to see Hermione there. The bushy haired girl smiled up at her and cleared her books off the table. "How are you Jess?"

"I'm alright. Our talk last night made me feel a lot better, thanks Hermione." Jess replied with a small smile.

"No problem, anything I can do to help."

Jess sighed and played with her food, pushing it around, not really hungry. She was still thinking of yesterday and how obvious it was to her that nothing would come of her relationship with Harry. But at the same time she didn't want to let go, though she knew she had to. About halfway through breakfast three people walked in, though it was obvious one of them wasn't with the other two. Harry, Ron and Draco all walked in at the same time. Draco snubbed the pair and went over to the Slytherin table. Jess watched him the entire way. She didn't take notice of Harry and Ron sitting down, or that Harry was trying to get her attention. He finally did when he covered her hand with his. "Jess?"

It was odd the sensation that went through her body. It was one of repulsion, how dare he touch her? It felt wrong, as if it had been wrong since the beginning. The next thing she thought scared her, it was Draco, decking Harry in the face and taking Harry's place at her side holding her hand. The thing that frightened her more was that it felt like that's how it should be. That no other man should hold her hand but Draco's that only he would be approved or allowed by her. She stood up quickly and grabbed her bag. "I'll see you later." Jess quickly left the room.

Harry watched her leave with curiosity. He hadn't done anything wrong had he? Something wasn't right and he didn't have a good feeling about it. Sighing, Harry turned to Hermione and asked her if she knew of anything bothering Jess.

Draco's eyes followed her out the door. He wondered why she had left as soon as her boyfriend came in but didn't pursue it. Instead he concentrated on the difficult task at hand of getting around to all of his classes due to his recent injuries.

Jess eluded Harry the entire rest of the day, which of course heightened Harry's worry about what was wrong. She stayed in her room doing homework and mulling over what exacting she should do. After she had missed dinner Hermione came up with a plateful of food. She sat it down in front of her and took a seat. "Alright Jess, what's going on? And don't tell me nothing, I know something is wrong. It would be easier if you just told me what."

Jess looked up from her Arithmancy essay and sighed. "I'm going to break up with Harry."

Hermione's eyes widened as she grabbed for Jess' hand. "What?? Why?!"

"He loves Ginny."

"Did he say that?"

"No he didn't, but its so obvious Hermione. I should have known those two would end up together."

"But Jess, Ginny's with Dean."

"And I'm surprised its lasted as long as it has. Haven't you noticed the few boyfriends Ginny has had she goes through them pretty quickly?"

"Well yes, but what's the point?"

"My point is, that its because they're not what she wants. Hermione, she'd had a crush on Harry since before she went to Hogwarts."

"True, but do you really want to give up what you and Harry have?"

"What we have? We still act like the best of friends, only that we kiss each other. I'm not what he wants and he's not what I want."

"Oh… Wait, do you like someone else?"

Jess' cheeks tinted a light shade of pink as she looked away from Hermione. How could she tell her that she liked their sworn enemy? True, she had had a crush on him years ago, but that was buried quickly. "Its nothing, 'Mione."

"You do don't you?" She persisted, trying to get to the bottom of it.

Jess looked up and looked at Hermione right in the eyes. "Okay, so I do, but nothing's going to come of it."

"How do you know if you don't try?"

"Because he doesn't feel the same way!" She shouted while standing up and walking over to the window. Jess placed her hand on the cold glass and looked out on the wintery wonderland outside.

Hermione came rushing to her side and placed a gentle hand on her shoulder. "I'm sorry Jess, I know what its like."

She shook her head as tears started to form in her eyes. Hermione didn't know, the boy she liked, liked her as well. But that wasn't her case. Jess was infatuated with the cold hearted prince of Slytherin. Nothing could or would ever come of the two. They were from separate worlds, and in his world she was scum. Hermione gave her a tight hug as Jess started to cry. "It'll be alright. If there's anything I can do let me know." Hermione offered, trying to comfort her as best she knew how. Jess didn't say anything in response. She closed her eyes for a moment, wishing her feelings would go away. Back in third year, when she had felt attraction towards him, had that been a sign of what was to come? But she had soon buried and dismissed those feelings; she could easily do it again, right?

In the morning Jess slept in and got dressed, skipping breakfast and headed over to Charms. Professor Flitwick was as cheerful as ever and spilt them all up into groups. Harry took this opportunity to talk with Jess. "Jess? Is there something wrong?"

She looked into his eyes, green meeting green. "I want to talk privately after classes. Are you free?"

"Of course." He gave her a light hug and they got back to work.

The rest of classes went by far too fast. It was as though time was against Jess as she walked out of professor McGonagall's room. Most of the students either went outside to enjoy snow or hung out in their common rooms. Jess ascended the stairs of the boys dormitory's and knocked on the door.

"Its open." Harry's voice responded. Jess walked in to see it was just him in the room. She walked over to Harry and sat down. "Now, what did you want to talk about?" He asked calmly.

"Harry, I don't think this is working."

"What isn't?"

"Us dating. We'd be better off as friends, both of us know that. I know that you like Ginny."

"Oh." He looked at her blankly. "I agree, I mean I don't regret it at all, but I think you're right."

She sighed a sigh of relief. "I'm so glad. I was worried about what you'd think."

He smiled softly at her. "I could never be mad at you Jess. We're still best friends, no matter what happens."

"Promise?"

Harry chuckled and pulled her into a light hug. "I promise."

"I'm sure you and Ginny will be together soon."

"How do you figure?"

"She will always wait for you Harry. She has all these years."

"I should have realized it sooner."

"There's a lot of things we wish we would have figured out sooner, but I think when you finally discover it is the best time." She responded while standing up. "I'll see ya around." Jess gave him a small smile and left the room, leaving to her room and grabbed the Nimbus 2000; Harry had gotten her and exited the Gryffindor house. A broom ride sounded like the perfect thing to do to get her mind off of things. As she made her way down one of the lesser used halls, Jess heard a familiar drawl behind her.

"Trouble in paradise, Anderson?" Draco asked sarcastically from behind her. He could tell by her body language that something was up.

Jess didn't turn around to look at him. "Shut up Malfoy, I don't want to deal with you sickening presence right now." She kept walking down the hall.

But she wasn't fast enough as Draco firmly grabbed her wrist and twirled her around to face him. "Nice necklace, where'd you get it?" He asked off handedly.

Jess looked up at him puzzled. "My parents got it for me, for my seventeenth birthday."

Draco couldn't help but give a snort of laughter. "Right, like they could afford that. Or they understood the importance of turning seventeen in the wizarding world."

"I'll have you know that they do know the significance." She replied in a clipped tone. "Now let go of me."

"I believe I can't do that. Can't have you going around misinformed any longer."

She was getting very impatient. "What are you talking about?"

"They didn't give you the necklace."

"Oh? And who did then?"

"Well I thought that would be obvious by now." He replied dully.

"You? Ha! Why in the world would I think that?"

"Who signed the card?"

"My mom and dad." She replied, not knowing where he was going with this.

"So, on the card it specifically said mom and dad?" He questioned with curiosity.

"No, it said D.M. The card was pretty small though, so they were running out of room."

Draco raised an eyebrow. "Oh really? Don't you think they'd have enough room for, four more letters?"

"That's beside the point."

"I think not." Draco replied while releasing her wrist. "And what did you say the initials were again?"

"D.M."

He rubbed his chin. "I think I know someone else with those initials."

"Do tell Malfoy."

Draco looked at her. "What's my first name?"

Jess looked at him. "Draco."

"And my surname?"

"Malfoy. I don't see the point of this."

"What would my initials be then?"

Jess thought for a moment before answering. "D.M."

"Hmm, what a funny coincidence, no?"

It clicked in her head. "I don't believe it."

"What me to find the receipt?"

"You're not going to fool me." She replied stubbornly.

Draco dug in his pocket and handed her a small piece of paper with hand writing on it. "Read it."

Jess looked at it and began reading it to herself. "Out loud." Draco added as an after note.

"One silver and emerald dragon necklace three thousand galleons paid for in cash by Draco Malfoy. And then there's you signature." She looked up at him in chock. "Three thousand galleons?!" Her hand instantly grabbed onto the pendant and she began fingering it. "Why Draco? Why did you buy this for me?"

"I was looking for a thank you actually…"

"But it doesn't make any sense!"

"Sure it does, you open your mouth and say, 'thank you.'"

"No not that! Draco… Why did you buy this for me? I mean we never have gotten along and that was really expensive."

"I have plenty of money to throw around as I please." He reminded her.

Jess ran a hand through her hair. "Yes, but it still doesn't make any sense. I'm incredibly thankful, as I was when I got it, but why?"'

"Because I wanted to."

"How did you get it into my purse?"

"By purposely running into you."

"At the Leaky Cauldron…." She finished for him.

Draco walked over to her and gently placed his hand on her arms. "That would be correct."

Jess looked up at him, confusion evident on her face. "Draco but why?"

"I told you, because I wanted to."

"But why did you want to?"

He sighed, knowing he'd have to explain himself. "Ever since we endured that project I've felt differently about you. During the project it became tolerance. Afterwards it became actually liking you as a friend in some weird way. But then it became more. When Weasel got hurt I saw you snogging with Potter in the hall. It was then I realized something was going on but I couldn't explain it. I can't call you a mudblood anymore without getting a bad after taste. When I saw you and Potter, I wanted to strangle him for touching you, let alone even thinking about it. Those new and foreign feelings have been waging a war inside me until during the holidays I realized what they meant." Draco paused and looked deep into her eyes. "Jess, I love you."

Shocked didn't even begin to explain how Jess felt. Sure she was shocked, but she was also flabbergasted, confused, surprised, happy, sad, full of the purest joy, and oddly regretful, regretful that she hadn't known before now. Crystal tears slowly rolled down her cheeks as Jess was rendered speechless. The Nimbus in her one hand dropped to the floor but neither of them noticed. This all felt like an alternative universe. It was too good to be true. She had to be dreaming, but she wasn't. She searched his ice blue eyes for an answer, and what she found was the truth. There was such raw emotion held in his gaze that Jess knew it had to be true. It took her a few seconds to find her voice, when she finally did she spoke. "Draco I… I love you too."

Elation crossed over Draco's face as he pulled her closer and planted a firm but tender kiss on her lips. Her arms slipped around the back of Draco's neck as his arms wrapped around her waist. The child and sensations his lips against hers gave Jess were unreal. She had honestly never felt that way when she had kissed Harry. It felt like she was hovering in mid-air. It was as though it touched her very soul, making her feel alive as it melted away any fears, worries or protections on and around her heart. Her heart gushed and felt like it was going to explode from too much joy. If there was a small fraction of heaven on earth, she had found it.

Draco had similar reactions. He too felt all of his cares and worried melt away. All the sorrows in his life and the restrictions and regulations as to what he could and could not do were gone. Draco felt as though this one simple kiss liberated him from all he didn't want to be. He felt himself coming back and the mask he had worn crack and fall on the wayside. His true heart was functioning and beating once more after many years of unused. Her rose petal soft lips felt perfect against his, as though he had been incomplete without them. Draco held her tightly, never wanting to risk losing this. But he felt her arms slide away from his neck and her lips part away from his.

"Draco, this is wrong." Jess said in the most confident voice she could muster.

"Then why does it feel so right?" He asked before kissing her again, both of them getting lost in the moment. It was Draco's turn to pull away this time. He looked at her, waiting for her to say anything.

"Maybe because views of what right and wrong are have been skewed." She replied with a smile.

Draco couldn't help but smirk. "That's very true in some cases. Jess, I don't care about blood, what I 'should' believe according to my father. It's a lord of rubbish and lies. What matters is I've overcome them and I don't want to lose you."

Jess smiled, taking his hand in hers. "I know. I've always known you were never truly like that."

Draco wiped away the remainders of her tears with his thumb. "Don't cry I hate to see you hurt. I hate myself for so many years of hurting you."

"I know Draco, though it did and sometimes still does hurt. I forgive you."

"Thank you, its much more than I deserve."

"This had to work. There's no other way, we can't go back to the lie we were living."

"I know, we'll figure it out in time."

"We can't be seen together because it'll endanger both of us." Jess replied while thinking. A light bulb went off in her head. "I got it!"

Draco raised an eyebrow. "What would that be?"

"We can meet up in the room of requirement a couple of times a week."

He smirked, "I should have thought of that." Draco then realized where they were. "I should go."

Jess looked at him but didn't want to let him go. "I know."

Draco placed a soft kiss on her cheek. "I'll send you an owl when I can."

"Alright, see ya." Jess watched him leave. Even thought he was gone she was happy. Jess noticed her broom lying on the floor abandoned and picked it up. The need for a broom ride was no more and she went back to her room. After spending hours on homework and sneaking food from the kitchen Jess settled in for the night. Hermione noticed that she was very bubbly and happy this evening. It caused her to smile since Jess had had a rough couple last days. When the time came for bed both Jess and Draco fell asleep with ease, now that their consciousness were cleared, and had many happy dreams involving one another.

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IT HAPPENED! IT FINALLY BLOODY HAPPENED! Are you all surprised?? I mean it was kind of obvious it was coming really, really, REALLY soon. But still, it was amazing right?? Gosh Draco is positively sexy, isn't he? I thought so. Well I hope you all liked the BIG MOMENT. It just gets better from here so please stay tuned! I've noticed we're within five or four reviews of 500! I think it fitting that with THIS chapter we break that and have a party! What do you all say? Well thank you again for the reviews! Please R&R!


	53. Doubt

Hello everyone. I realize it has been quite a while since I have updated. But I do have my reasons for this. First off since I updated last I have been working quite a bit. A couple weeks later I then started up school again which between the two is taking up a lot of my time. I apologize for taking a while, but you must realize that its not realistic for me to update every week like I did beforehand when I had more freehand. Another reason I guess why I haven't updated is because its a big pain to type of the chapters from my notebooks, since I have originally written them down in notebooks. However, I shouldn't leave you waiting for as long as I did. We'll find a happy medium, I was thinking every two weeks would be reasonable. Since a lot of people on here update once a month, so twice a month would be awesome. Anyways, I know this chapter is short, but I'm not feeling well so it took me a while to type this up. Enjoy everyone! I do not own Harry Potter.

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The next morning Jess woke up not knowing exactly how she should feel. For one she felt happy butterflies buzzing around in her stomach when she thought back to her and Draco kissing. But at the same time she felt an immense amount of doubt. Could she really trust Draco? Or was this all a brilliant rouse to make her susceptible and when she least expect it back her into a corner and deliver the final blow. That thought caused Jess to jump in her bed and emit a small gasp. Would he really do that to her? Upon closer inspection of the situation, Jess realized a few things. One, this was Draco Malfoy she was dealing with. He could easily try and trick her. Hitting her where it hurt most. His past record was not in his favor. And two, this was all rather sudden wasn't? But at the same time Draco had given her such proof that made her think this was in fact real. But that's where his past came in play. After all his father was one of the masters of the art form of lying, as much as she hated to admit it. Jess didn't know what side to choose at the moment. She really, deeply and sincerely wanted to believe Draco. To make all of this work, but her doubts were strong and almost overpowered her. Sighing, she sat in a more comfortable position on her bed. Why had he waited until she broke up with Harry to gush out his feelings? That's it! Draco wanted to get her when she was down. He wanted to lull her into a false security. But as plausible as that sounded, why couldn't she believe it? Was it because she loved him? Or because she knew he was right? This question would take a while to figure out.

Care for Magical Creatures was first on the docket today. Jess decided she really didn't want to deal with the whole awkwardness of not being with Harry anymore yet still hanging out with him. She opted for sticking by Hermione's side. Harry chose Ron.

Draco walked down and saw Jess talking with Granger. A soft smirk contorted on his lips as he now knew that he didn't have to compete with Potter for Jess. It was a great feeling, finally getting the girl he had subconsciously wanted to be with for months. But he decided to ease up for the first couple days so that Jess had enough time to get over Potter. It would be a miserable few days not being able to meet up with her, but he knew the wait was worth it. Soon class began and that was the end of his thought on the matter.

Hagrid seemed to notice the rift between the golden troop, though he decided to ask them about it later. He rambled on for most of the class period while everyone or some people took notes. He got Harry alone afterwards and asked him what was wrong. What Harry told him, he surely was not expecting. Hagrid gave Harry his sympathy and told him that everything would be okay. Oddly enough Hagrid's words did comfort Harry.

The next class period dragged on for what seemed like forever. But wasn't that what History of Magic was always like? Professor Binns droned on in the same monotone voice he always did. The sleeping powder affect of his voice had half the class either already asleep or barely hanging on by a thread. Jess was being preoccupied with thoughts of the blonde Slytherin that was not present in the room. She almost wished he was so she'd have something pleasing to look at. Jess casually glanced over to see Hermione scribbling away. How in the world she managed to act like she was actually enjoying the lesson she had no idea, nor did she really want to know. It probably had something to deal with splitting your brain down between the two hemispheres. And that did not sound pleasant in the slightest.

The students literally ran out of professor Binns class at lightning speed. Neville tripped and stalled the forward progression out of the room. Many groans sounded as he scrambled back on his feet and stepped to the side. They went to their next class which was Potions.

Professor Snape stalked into the room and didn't pay much attention to the students. He moodily sat behind his desk and mumbled while flipping through a Potions book. His voice was soft when he decided to speak. "You will have a substitute next Friday." The class looked around in surprise. Never before had Snape missed a chance to torture them. Next Friday would be like a mini-holiday. This brightened everyone's mood as Snape began the lesson. Soon enough the class ended and the weekend began.

Jess decided that not talking to harry would be the best idea. Instead she walked around the castle until she found who she was looking for. She tugged on the Ravenclaw girls' sleeve. "Hey Rachel?"

The short haired girl looked down at her with a smile on her face. "Jess! I haven't seen you in a while!"

"It has been a while hasn't? Can I talk to you in private?"

"Sure, let's go outside." Rachel led the way out into the snowy grounds. She brushed the glittering snow off one of the benches and sat down. "So, what did you want to talk about?"

Jess sat down next to her, but didn't look at her. Instead she gazed onto the never ending sheer of fluffy snow. "I broke up with Harry."

She blinked and looked at the Gryffindor girl. "When did that happen??"

"Last night."

"Why, Jess?"

"He loves Ginny, not me."

"But… You said that you broke up with him."

"I couldn't live the lie anymore." Jess replied half-heartedly.

"Jess…" She pulled her into a hug. "I'm sorry; I know you liked Harry a lot."

"You know Rachel, I realized something."

"What's that?"

"I wasn't in love with Harry."

Rachel looked at her confused. "What are you talking about?"

"I love him as a best friend, or a brother, nothing more."

"Oh… Then I guess it's a good thing you broke up with him."

Jess nodded, not really paying attention to a word she said. Her mind was on a completely different subject, but at the same time not. She thought of the cocky Slytherin and a smile tugged at her lips. Truly she had been in denial for a long time. Just thinking about Draco made her smile. Why had she doubted her feelings for so long?

Rachel looked over at her. "Any reason that you're smiling, when I mentioned you broke up with your friend?"

She blinked and looked up at Rachel. A light blush crossed over her cheeks. "I was thinking about something else."

"Oh, a someone you mean?"

"Yeah…" She looked down at her hands, the blush growing in intensity.

One of Rachel's eyebrows rose in curiosity. "Oh? Care to tell me who?"

"It's just a stupid crush." Jess muttered under her breath.

Jess let out a heavy sigh and looked right into Rachel's brown eyes. "You wouldn't believe me if I told you."

Rachel looked back into Jess' emerald ones. "Try me."

"Draco Malfoy."

She blinked as her eyebrows furrowed in confusion. "What?"

"Draco Malfoy."

"What about him?"

"That's the name of the guy I like."

Rachel looked at her horrified. She looked at her as if Jess had been brutally maimed right in front of her eyes and the person didn't finish the job, so they left Jess there twitching and to die a slow death. After a minute of pure silence between the two, Rachel couldn't help but laugh. "You had me fooled there for a minute. I thought that you actually meant that you like Draco Malfoy."

Jess ran a hand through her hair. "That's exactly what I meant Rachel. I like Draco."

She paled as if on command. "How?! Why?! He brainwashed you didn't he?? It's just some sick game that he's pulled on you!"

"I didn't say he liked me back" Jess snapped.

Rachel sighed, she noticed how annoyed Jess was with Draco rejecting her. "You really like him don't you?"

"I'm afraid so. Please don't tell anyone."

"I won't. Just stay away from him. He might figure it out and try to exploit it."

Jess simply nodded and stood. "I better get going. I'll see you later." She couldn't keep her promise, he already knew. Jess slowly made her way back to her room and cracked open her Transfiguration book. Hopefully he'd just forget she had said anything, and they'd go back to hating each other. After all, it would be much safer for both of them it they didn't let their feelings get involved.

The weekend went by quickly as did the first couple days of the week. Jess was now positive that Draco had set this whole thing up. She hadn't heard from him since Thursday and it was now Tuesday night. She and Hermione were in the library studying as usual. Harry had been distant over the last few days but she didn't expect different. Ron was actually being a good friend and hung out with Harry as Hermione gravitated towards Jess.

"I hope this whole thing passes soon." Jess whispered to the bushy haired girl.

"It will Jess, Harry isn't as stubborn as Ron can be. And we're fortunate that he isn't or that you aren't for that matter."

"Yeah, that would be bad." Jess gave her a small smile.

Hermione grinned as well. "So, how are you feeling?"

"I feel pretty good considering the circumstances."

"It'll get better Jess. Just give it some time."

"I know 'Mione. Thanks for being so understanding." A light smile crossed over Jess' lips.

"Anytime Jess, that's what I'm here for." The two continued their work in relative silence. But the silence was lighter and comfortable. The tension in the air was all gone.

Draco still hadn't sent her an owl. He wasn't sure if he had allotted her enough time. But as Monday passed and Tuesday was now almost over, he felt that he had waited long enough. At the end of Care for Magical Creatures, Draco tried to get her alone, but Granger was right at her side, attached to the hip. He sighed softly in frustration, wishing the know it all would give her breathing room. They hadn't had any classes together so he would have to wait until tomorrow. He went up to his room and sat down at the desk the four boys shared. Draco grabbed out a parchment and bottle of ink. He stared at the blank parchment for a moment, not sure what to write. It had to be good and at the same time convey his message to her. He wanted to see her, and soon. The weekend had gone by fast for everyone except for him. Draco had to keep up the façade of hating her and ignoring her, which he was able to successfully do on the weekends. The parchment looked back at him in question, waiting for its instructions. He sighed, setting down the quill and holding his head in his hands while he thought. Whatever he decided to write, Draco knew that it couldn't sound desperate. That would scare her off most likely, but e needed to see her and soon. An unsettlingly feeling came over him as he opened his eyes. Perhaps he had waited too long? Jess could be mad at him for not saying anything sooner. Draco quickly concentrated on his current task and wrote Jess a short letter. He read it over twice before folding it up and putting it in an envelope and wrote her name on the front of it but nothing more. Draco then opened his window and looked around in the pitch black. "Aeolus!" He shouted in a hushed tone. His beautiful Eagle owl flew over and landed on the windowsill. Draco attached the letter to his leg. "Deliver this to Jessica, first thing in the morning at breakfast." The owl hooted softly and leapt off the windowsill and back out into the black night. Draco walked back to his bed and began his homework. He finished all that he needed for tomorrow before falling asleep.

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I think its quite realistic for her to doubt Draco's true affections. I mean honestly wouldn't you be the same way? I know the end of the previous chapter was a bit cheesy, but hopefully this will make up for it. Love can't always be easy, haha. I would like to thank you all again for reading and reviewing. Hopefully it won't take me as long to update this time. Until next chapter! Please read and review!


	54. The Sub

Hello everyone and welcome to chapter 54! Yes, I do realize it has been a while. And yes, I haven't much time to do anything about it, until NOW! So, I thought since I actually had some time to sit down and crank out a chapter, I would. So, here is chapter 54. Hopefully it will prove to your liking as it did to mine. Its pretty funny actually, or well I thought so. But I will leave you all to be the judges of that. Anyways, I know this is short, but my laptop doesn't have much battery power left so I should get this up before it dies. I do not own HP.

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In the morning Jess woke up with a clear mind. Today would be different, she couldn't mope over Draco. She hopped into the shower and emerged fully clothed twenty minutes later. Hermione was already waiting for her at the door. The pair walked down to the Great Hall and assumed their positions. They sat about four people away from Harry and Ron to prevent awkward tension. Hopefully this wouldn't last much longer. Within five minutes of them sitting down a sea of wings and feathers filled the air. The mass amount of owls flying around with packages and parcels was unreal. It had taken Jess all of her first year to get used to the phenomenon. But now that she was in the second half of her sixth year, she hardly noticed. That is until an owl landed right in front of her, extending its leg that held a letter.

"I wasn't expecting any mail." She mused while looking at the owl. "Come to think of it, I've never seen you before." The owl hooted softly and still held out its leg. Jess stroked the top of the owl's head and fed it some of her toast she noticed it looking at. She smiled and untied the letter from its leg. "You're a beautiful owl, your owner must be proud of you." Aeolus looked at her smugly, if even possible. Jess laughed and fed him another bit of toast before Aeolus took off and went back to the Owlery.

"Now" she whispered to herself. "Who is this from?" Jess looked over to see that Hermione was nose deep in _Hogwarts: A History_. She snorted; surprised that Hermione didn't have it memorized by now. Jess looked down at the envelope that had her name printed on it, in a neat scrawl. She flipped it around and carefully broke the seal. She pulled the parchment out and unfolded it, it read in the same scrawl.

_Jessica,_

_Please meet me outside of the Room of Requirement tonight at seven._

_-Draco_

Jess' brows furrowed in confusion as she folded the letter back up. Was this some kind of joke? He hadn't talked to her since that one night, and now out of the blue he wanted to see her? Rubbish. She looked up from the letter and noticed a pair of crystal blue eyes watching her from across the room. They were neither plotting nor conniving as far as could see. But this was Draco; he could hide something like that. In a flash Jess hid the letter and struck up a conversation with Hermione.

Draco blinked in response. She had gotten the letter, and by the looks of it read it as well. This he was happy about, but what made him unsettled was the look she had given him. It was one of contemplation, as though she thought he was trying to hide some ulterior motive. He sighed so only he could hear. Something was up and Draco didn't know what, so naturally it drove him crazy. Whatever the issue was they could hammer it out at their meeting tonight. Little did he know was that she didn't plan to attend.

Classes again were a bore. The only interesting thing that happened was that professor Snape alerted them that they would be getting their grades from last semester on Friday. Hermione was elated, though she didn't want to wait another two days to figure it out. Ron on the other hand groaned. He visibly shrunk when the announcement was made and stuck his head in his arms. He'd be lucky if Mrs. Weasley didn't send him another howler. Harry wasn't sweating it really. There were only a couple classes he was worried about, mainly Potions and History of Magic. He was thankful that after this year he would never have to take either again.

Slughorn bored the crap out of everyone in Defense Against the Dark Arts with one of his ramblings about his finest student from twenty years ago. Everyone about died of boredom and under their breath begged him to shut up. Hermione was even bothered when she cleared her throat loudly multiple times. Each time it went unnoticed by Slughorn, who appeared to be on a coffee high.

When the bell saved them the students trampled out like a herd of elephants. Hermione instantly ranted to Jess. "Can you believe him?? That had nothing to do with teaching us to defend ourselves! All that was, was a pointless banter about someone we've never heard about!"

"Hermione, calm down. I'm sure he won't do it again. So, what did you think of Arithmancy today?"

Hermione's face lit up. "It was fascinating! I didn't know you could…" She continued to ramble on but Jess didn't notice.

Her attention was caught by someone walking by in the corner of her eye. Draco had just walked by and noticed Jess was getting an earful from Granger. He stopped short in the hall since no one else was around. The pair looked at each other while Hermione was still on her tangent. After a few moments Draco smirked and began walking down the hall.

"Jess? Wee you listening?" The bushy haired girl asked.

"Yeah I was… I liked that too, it brings a whole new light on it." Jess looked over at Hermione, deep in though.

"Let's go and study, shall we?"

"Do I have a choice?" The pair laughed and headed off to the library.

Seven o'clock rolled around and Draco was pacing around the seventh floor corridor. Maybe she was just running late, after all he saw her open the letter. She had to have read it, so she'd come right? The next couple minutes felt like hours. Draco noticed it was ten after even. Okay, so maybe she was running really late knowing her. Granger probably trapped her in an endless cycle of homework. But soon enough it was seven thirty. "She's not coming." He muttered under his breath. Draco punched the wall abruptly and immediately regretted that decision. He stalked back to his dorm and flopped on his bed. He had to talk to her, something obviously was wrong. He rubbed his chin while thinking. He'd talk to her, somehow.

Thursday was a blur for everyone. It was a good day for Jess since she had no classes with Draco. She wouldn't need to talk to him, to acknowledge his existence. It was a good feeling. At lunch Harry and Ron slid in next to her and Hermione.

"Hey 'Mione, Jess" Harry said with an awkward smile.

Hermione couldn't help but smile. "It's been a while."

"Yeah, look Jess. I'm sorry that this had to some to this." He looked over to her sadly.

"It's okay Harry. It's what was meant to be." She placed a hand softly over his.

"Friends?" He asked with a grin.

"Best friends." Jess said back with a smile. "All four of us."

"Well, now that, that's over with."Ron dug right into his food. Jess and Harry laughed while Hermione rolled her eyes.

Draco on the other hand snorted. "They're pathetic. Couldn't even be separated for a week." Crabbe and Goyle snickered as well. Even though it sounded like Draco was repulsed by the tight bond the golden troop had, deep down he was actually jealous. If he had, had someone that close to him throughout his childhood Draco would have been much better off. Instead he spent most of it alone and in constant fear of what might happen next. He suddenly lost his appetite and stood up, arriving very early to his next class. The rest of the day Draco felt off. He remedied that by torturing some third year Hufflepuff's with Crabbe and Goyle. He deduced that he wouldn't be this cruel if it wasn't for how he was raised and what he had put up with. Even holding a boy's wand ransom lost its fun quickly. Draco dropped it on the ground and silently walked away. Crabbe and Goyle lumbered after him after a couple minutes, they were beyond dense.

On his way back to the Slytherin common room Draco stopped to see the golden troop outside in the snow. He growled and nearly ran back to the Slytherin dungeons. He jogged up the stairs and slammed the door behind him. Draco's body was tense as he leaned up against the door. He slowly slid down against the door and landed at the bottom. His fingers laced themselves in his light hair as he held his head in his hands. His elbows lightly pressed on his bent knees that were trying to compress themselves against his chest. Silent tears brimmed at his blue eyes making them look like ice melting. Draco's voice cracked as he asked the barren nothingness around him. "How long have I been alone?"

Friday morning came too quickly for Draco. All he remembered about last night was that he scrambled into bed after his revelation. His roommates had come in some time after since when he woke up today they were all sleeping. Draco reluctantly rolled out of bed and went into the bathroom. He took off his pajamas and stepped into the water. Hot water splashed all over his body, doing its best to wake him up. Draco stood there for a while just thinking about what today would entail for him. Today he would have two classes with her, Care for Magical Creatures, and Potions. The first class mentioned would be his best bet since they would be having a sub today in Potions. Knowing professor Snape they would have low tolerance. Now he'd just have to figure out how to confront her and have no one notice. Draco took his expensive shampoo and rubbed it into his hair. He closed his eyes as he washed his face. The shower made quick work of the shampoo and wherever the body wash had been on Draco. He turned it off and stepped out, wrapping a crisp towel around his waist. Making sure that it would stay securely in place, Draco walked over to the foggy mirror and groomed himself. The water droplets from the shower trailed down the defined muscles of Draco's chest and abdomen. He had to admit, he was downright hot. A large smirk played on his face while he tasseled his hair. Once he was done Draco walked out in the towel and gathered his clothes for the day. Zabini rolled his eyes. Draco didn't need to put any effort in his looks and have girls fall over him. Yet Draco always went the extra smile, which meant more girls fell over him. Crabbe and Goyle looked on dully, not knowing that Draco was a perfect specimen. If his toned body didn't give them a clue then they just needed to look at his face. First he had sexy and fluffy hair that would fall in his eyes. When he would push it back, his eyes stood out. They were the most beautiful shade of crystal blue, perfectly sized and shaped to give him any look he wanted to pull off with them. Whether it be an angelic like, that particular look he hadn't tried in a decade, or a more serious look, or possibly a desirable sexy look with one eyebrow raised that drove all girls wild. When Draco was angry, his eyes were frightening, their color would change ever so slightly to make them look grey like steel. His nose wasn't too large nor was it too small. It was slightly pointy but looked as if it had been chiseled to represent the nose of Greek god. The fact that it was slightly pointed gave off the fact that his face wasn't perfect; there was such a thing as being too beautiful. Then there were his lips that were just right in size and shape. They weren't a straight line nor were they pouty like some girls. They were manly, and when they curled into a smirk downright sexy. His jaw line was also defined and slightly elongated with the tiniest point to it where it was recognizable but it helped frame and mold his attractive face.

Draco quirked an eyebrow at Crabbe and Goyle who were still staring at him. 'What are you two looking at?" He asked impatiently. They shrugged and still looked on stupidly. Draco shuddered as he grabbed his clothes. 'Stop staring at me like that!" They blinked and followed orders. Draco looked at them with distaste and went back into the bathroom. He knew they didn't like men; they were just even denser in the morning and tended to stare into space. Still, it creped him out.

After that incident Draco proceeded to get dressed behind closed doors. He then began the trek to the Great Hall, Crabbe and Goyle followed at a distance. Even they weren't stupid enough to get in Draco's way when he was pissed. Draco sat in his usual spot and was bombarded by Pansy. As usual he did his best to ignore her. Casually he glanced over to the Gryffindor table to see the golden group enjoying their breakfast. A small smirk appeared on his face when he thought of how he could easily break the group apart. If word leaked out that he and Jess had kissed, and that she didn't mind it, Harry and Ron would be less than thrilled. As tempting as it was Draco decided against it. He knew that if someone found out surely his father would, and that was not a risk he thought was worth taking.

Jess looked up from her conversation to see Draco looking over at her casually. She was positive that Draco was distinctly looking at her and not the Gryffindor table as a whole. The hairs on her arms pricked up as she was the one to break eye contact. She could feel the heat rising in her cheeks and put her head down, concentrating heavily on her food. It was lucky for her that none of her friends had seemed to notice.

Draco smirked again and ate his breakfast in peace. Soon all the students left for their first classes of the day. Care for Magical Creatures was remotely interesting. Hagrid had paired everyone off and had them identifying the anatomy of Nymph's. Jess was paired with Ron, who she got frustrated with quickly. It was obvious he hadn't read the test. "Ron!" She shouted in a correcting tone. "That doesn't go there."

"Oh, right." Ron instead placed the name on the Nymph's head.

"You already guessed that." Jess reminded him.

"Yeah, how about here?" He stuck it on the forehead.

Jess rolled her eyes and placed it on the kneecap. "There."

"I knew that." Ron replied cheerfully.

"You would have known the first time if you would have done the assigned reading."

"But we had Quidditch practice!" He whined in response.

"You'll get kicked off the Quidditch team if you don't do your homework."

"Harry wouldn't do that. He'd my best friend, and also the captain."

"He won't, but professor McGonagall will."

"Alright, I'll pay more attention." He rolled his eyes.

"Thank you." Jess looked up the next area in the book.

Draco was assigned to work with Daphne Greengrass. It could have been much worse; he could have ended up with Pansy. He snickered as he looked over to Pansy who was having the hardest time as she worked with Crabbe. Zabini didn't have it much better off as he was working with Goyle. Daphne was actually decent in this subject and put her front foot forward. Daphne was Astoria's older sister. He had completely forgotten about her during the Christmas holidays. But since he hadn't heard from her it was safe to say that she had moved on to bigger and better things. Yeah, right that was a laugh. There weren't many bigger and better things then Draco, as far as he was concerned.

Class ended and Jess walked off with her friends. He silently cursed under his breath as he saw her walk away. Well there went Draco's chance of talking to her. It looked like he'd have to try in Potions class.

Potions classes rolled around soon enough and the students took their respected seats. Draco had Goyle sit next to him, a rather sad event, as he watched Hermione sit next to Jess on the other side of the room. The students anxiously awaited their substitute to come in, hoping that the sub wasn't too evil.

Ten minutes went by and there was no sign of the teacher. Hermione was impatient, Ron was delighted, and Jess and Harry were indifferent. "Hermione the sub could have just gotten lost. Hogwarts is a pretty big school." Jess commented, trying to calm her down.

"I guess you're right. They'll be here soon." Hermione smiled and started setting up her supplies.

In a beautiful torrent of lavender fabric their sub walked in, a cheeky grin on his face as he walked up to Snape's desk. "Terribly sorry I kept you all waiting, I'm fashionably late." The sub winked at all the students and sat at the edge of Snape's desk. "Many of you, or rather all of you should remember me from your second year when I was your Defense Against the Dark Arts teacher. I, Gilderoy Lockhart have come to answer the desperate plea your dear Headmaster sent out. You see Sevy had some dire circumstance to which he has been whisked off to. So, I humbly come to you as your substitute for however long Sevy is away." He finished in a dramatic tone filled with glee.

"Sevy?" Ron asked while chuckling out of control.

"I think he means Snape." Hermione replied while the other three were cracking up. Jess covered he mouth and tried to calm herself. She was the first one to success and boldly raise her hand.

"Ah yes! Miss Anderson is it?" Lockhart called on her with a twinkling in his eyes.

"Not to be rude but weren't you just in the hospital last year and couldn't remember one thing?"

"Oh silly girl." He was walking around the room now and ruffled Jess' hair. "I now take potions three times a day so that I am back to how I was!"

"Or did something just hit you on the head and jar your memory?" Jess asked dully.

Lockhart laughed heartily and then came really close to Jess' face, his hands placed on her desk. He whispered in a low tone so that only she and Hermione could hear. "Oh you're observant, perhaps too observant. You keep that to yourself or it won't end well for you." He then stood up straight and smiled cheerfully. "Alright?"

The only reaction to Lockhart's sudden bipolar moment that made sense was to blink, and boy did Jess ever. She shook her head to clear her thoughts as Lockhart began speaking.

"Now let's see what old Sev had planned for us to do today, shall we?" Lockhart walked over to the desk and peered down at the clear and precise instructions Snape had left. "Review? That simply won't do! How dreadfully boring! Surely he didn't know that I would be teaching for him today. Otherwise he would have trusted me with something more dangerous and exciting."

Everyone couldn't help but hide their laughter at his statement. Everyone knew that Snape hated Lockhart and didn't trust him as far as he could physically, without magic, throw him.

Lockhart pulled out a wad of lesson plans that he had broke into Snape's office several minutes before classes and rifled through them. "Hmm, how about a blood replenishing potion? That sounds delightful! Alright everyone it looks like you'll all need-"

Lockhart was cut off when a black shadow whipped in through the door at top speed. All the students looked shocked and hid a little behind their desks. After thirty seconds the creature was revealed to be Snape. He was currently trying to strangle Lockhart.

"My dear Severus! Long time no see how have you gah!" Lockhart was cut off by Snape tightening his grip. Snape looked as if he could kill. His chest heaved up and down in the pent up rage he had discovered when he had figured out who was subbing for him.

"PROFESSOR!" Hermione screamed, "You can't kill him or you'll get sent to Azkaban!" The rest of the Gryffindor's seemed to like that idea.

"Hit him over the head with something hard and he'll lose his memory again!" Jess offered as a solution.

Snape released his grip and grabbed the nearest thing he could find, which was a cauldron, and smashed it over Lockhart's head. It was lucky for Lockhart that he had a thick skull. Pandemonium broke out and the students ran out of the room. Hermione ran to the infirmary so that Lockhart might actually have a chance.

In the outbreak of chaos, Draco took this opportunity and grabbed Jess' hand. He dragged her through the crowded halls. No one noticed that they were together, since the rest of everyone still had their mind on what had just happened. Draco ran up to the seventh floor with Jess in tow. He quickly paced the hallway three times and the door appeared. Draco opened it and bade Jess in.

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Well? What did you all think? I had before I even have thought of this scenario, knew that I had to have Lockhart in here somewhere. Who else besides me misses how idiotic that man is? I also love how Snape is usually extremely pissed off about his mere presence, so I thought what better than to have his sub for his class. Pure genius I think! I could be wrong though. Anyway, I apologize for this taking so long, and I hope I haven't lost any of you in the wait for the next installment. The fact that this chapter came this soon you should give credit to one of you fellow readers for messaging me about the story. You know who you are :) But I would like to say a big THANK YOU to all of you that have ever read and reviewed, and to those that still continue to read and review. Until next chapter!


	55. The Plot Thickens

Alright, and hello everyone! How have you been? Again, I know it has been a while since I have updated but now that I am on Easter break I thought I would actually have some time to update. Good news though, I don't have much school left, which means I should have more time to actually update… Amazing isn't?! Summer is approaching and I honestly think not soon enough. I think everyone will like this chapter since it is all about our favorite pair. Honestly no one else is in this chapter except Draco and Jess. And on that note I will stop rambling and let you all read it. Happy Easter everyone!

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She looked at him in disbelief and didn't budge an inch further. "What do you want, Draco?"

"I want to talk to you. Please go inside." He didn't ask her, it was more of a command.

"Fine." Jess cautiously walked in. Draco had shut the door closely behind them and faced her. "Now what did you want to talk about?"

"Why didn't you come on Tuesday night?" He asked stiffly.

She merely blinked. "You dragged me all this way to ask that?"

He rolled his eyes impatiently. "Just answer the question."

"Oh come on Draco! You do know you have a reputation of fooling people and making them look like complete morons?"

"Yes I know that." He snapped back. "But you believed that, that's what I was doing?"

"Most people don't have such a drastic change of heart in a day, Draco."

"It wasn't that quick. It took months I'll have you know." He growled in a low voice.

"How am I supposed to know that?"

"By trusting me."

Jess sighed softly and looked up at him. "I want to Draco. I don't want to think you're up to some brilliant scheme. I just convinced myself that you were since you hadn't talked to me."

He laughed bitterly. "Is that why you came to your conclusion? You're mistaken I'm afraid."

"Then why didn't you owl me sooner?" She asked a little annoyed.

"So you'd have time to get over Potter."

"You mean you actually thought about my feelings?" Jess asked sarcastically.

Draco looked annoyed by this. "I'm not what my father has molded me to be."

"I can tell." Jess commented while taking a step forward. "For one he wouldn't give me the light of day, among other reasons."

A small smirk crossed Draco's lips. "Then we can get over this?"

"I would hope so. We don't have much of a chance if we can't now do we?"

"Not in the slightest." Draco replied while moving over to one of the chairs in the room. Jess followed suit and sat in another chair.

"Draco?"

"Yes?"

"Don't you think that this is a bit unreal?"

"It is but I wouldn't change a thing, except maybe getting to you before Potter did."

She rolled her eyes. "Harry and I are just friends now I'll have you know."

"If you say so."

"I mean it."

"Sure, sure."

"Draco! I mean it!"

"I know you do."

Jess huffed in annoyance which got a smirk of approval from Draco. "You just like riling me up don't you?" She asked dully.

"I'll admit its fun, especially when it's so easy to do. So, I have a question for you."

She quirked an eyebrow. "Go for it."

"Will I need to keep a close eye on you and Potter so you don't relapse?"

"Draco!" She shouted while smacking him in the side.

Draco's knife wound was still tender, as was the rest of his body. He yelled out in pain when her hand firmly met his left side. Jess looked at him startled as Draco quickly clutched his side. "Draco? What's wrong?" Her teasing tone was instantly replaced with one of concern.

"It's nothing." He managed to choke out as the pain in his side throbbed in disapproval.

Jess' eyes fell on Draco clutching his side. "You're hurt!" She instantly rushed over and pulled his hands away from his side.

"Jess, just leave it." Draco warned in a feeble tone.

She looked for any sign of blood but saw none. "Lift up your shirt." She demanded, rather than asked.

Draco raised an eyebrow suggestively. "Normally I'd say that's pretty risqué of you."

"Want me to rip it off instead?" She blandly remarked.

"Ooh, kinky."

"Oh shut up! Just lift it up please?"

Draco sighed, "Only if you don't ask a hundred questions."

Jess thought it over for a second. It still meant she could ask some questions. "Deal."

He reluctantly loosened his tie and dropped it on the floor. Draco then unfastened the buttons of his shirt and shrugged it off. The shirt fell to the ground in a small heap. He looked back up at her. "Happy?"

She simply gaped at how stunningly hot he looked without the shirt on. He was toned, but not excessively, it fit him perfectly. Jess slowly nodded her head in approval.

A smirk tugged at the corners of his lips as he went to pick the shirt back up. "Speechless?" He asked teasingly.

Jess shot out her arm and grabbed his wrist. "Not so fast."

"What?" He asked while looking at her.

"Nice try, stunning me like that."

Draco couldn't help but laugh. "I can't help how I look."

"You didn't need to remove your entire shirt." She pointed out.

"Are you regretting that I did?"

"No, not at all, but I see your scheme behind it. You hoped to catch me off guard so I wouldn't focus on what I asked about."

He looked at her incredulously. "Do you actually think that's why I removed my shirt?"

Jess though for a brief moment before answering. "Yes."

He smirked again. "You're good. Most people wouldn't pick up on that."

Jess smiled, "I'm not most people."

"Well obviously, you wouldn't have caught my attention if you were."

She laughed lightly and looked down the length of his chest. This had to be a rare treat. Not many people saw the pale, bare, carved chest of Draco Malfoy. This moment she wouldn't forget for a long time. As he eyes traveled down to around his waist, she noticed a fresh scar around the top of his pant line. It was terrible, bright red, as though it had happened recently, about half the size of a dime. It marred the smooth appearance of the rest of his torso. Jess felt a tear slide down her cheek as she bent over by him to get a better look. She looked up at Draco to see that he had watched her every move and now was looking down at her. "Draco, what happened?" She asked in the calmest voice she could find.

Draco rubbed the back of his neck casually. "I don't know if I can tell you."

Jess looked at him confused. "Why couldn't you tell me?"

"If you tell anyone, it won't end well."

She thought for a moment. "Alright, I won't tell anyone."

"No one Jess, no one can know. Not Potter, the weasel, Granger, anyone."

"Yes Draco, I know what no one means." Jess replied back dryly.

Draco grasped her hands in his and looked at her seriously. "I meant it." His eyes bore into hers which gave her a bit of a nervous twitch. "No one can know."

"I won't tell anyone, Draco." All she could do was look back into his eyes.

He released her hands and stood, grabbing for his shirt and putting it on. The buttons were left undone. Draco paced around the room for a few minutes before looking at her. "What do you want to know?" He asked as calmly as he could.

Jess stood up and sat back down in a chair. "I want to know when you got that."

"Over Christmas holidays."

"Before or after I saw you?" Jess asked, feeling that she was somewhat responsible.

Draco looked shocked that had made the connection. He didn't want to tell her, lying would be easier. With a sigh he replied, "After."

"How soon after?"

"A couple of hours."

Her face fell as she looked down into her lap. "I knew it. You got hurt because of me." Jess' hair feel around her face like a curtain, hiding her beautiful face and the clear tears that silently rolled down her cheeks.

In a few long strides, Draco was at her side. He titled her face up and brushed away her hair that was sticking to her wet face. "It wasn't you fault, it was mine. I came over to you, and I paid the price." Draco soothed in a voice just above a whisper.

She nodded softly and hugged him tightly. Draco cringed as she had been a little too rough. He placed his arms around her loosely. "I'm sorry Draco."

"Nothing you need to be sorry about." He murmured while inhaling her sweet scent. The tantalizing smell of vanilla radiated off her skin. _That must be the type of lotion she uses_, he mused to himself. It filled his nose and eventually wafted to his brain, giving him a dizzy feeling. Her very presence was intoxicating, and he loved it.

"What did he do to you?" Jess couldn't help but ask. She had to know so that she could throttle him whenever he got out of Azkaban.

Draco pulled away and held her at arms length so he could look at her. "Do you really want to know?"

"Yes, I want to know."

"Alright, here it goes." Draco told her that he had been called into his father's office, a place no sane person would want to venture into. Jess sat on the edge of her seat with bated breath the entire time. A couple times to try and lighten the mood, Draco would teasingly remind her to breathe. He continued, getting into detail about their argument, and how Lucius had pulled out his wand too soon for Draco to act accordingly. He went over the next bit as briefly as Jess would allow and then mentioned when his mother came in and rushed him back to school. "I've been here since then." Draco finished while looking at her for a response.

Jess was silent for a few minutes and digested all that he said. Slowly she stood up and took a deep calming breath, though it was futile. "That sick bastard!" She yelled loudly. "How dare he think he could get away with that… that brutality! I'll hunt him down myself and torture the son of a bitch within an inch of his life and see how he likes it!" Jess fumed while pacing a straight line of five feet.

Draco stood and encompassed her in his arms, stopping her from pacing. "I appreciate the gesture, but please don't. I don't want you within five kilometers of him."

Jess sighed and stood there in his arms. She had tears in her eyes, but they were from the sudden burst of rage she felt after Draco's account of what happened. "You know sooner or later this war is going to explode in our faces and I'll have no choice?"

He nodded stiffly, not wanting to imagine her anywhere near harm's way. "But I don't want you instigating it sooner. Do you understand me?"

"Fine, but when the time comes, I'm not holding back."

He smirked proudly. "Good, because you'll need all your strength."

"I think you underestimate me." She replied with mock hurt in her voice.

"I think you underestimate my father." Draco replied back.

"No I know I'm dealing with Satan himself."

Draco couldn't help but give a snort of a laugh. "I had never made that connection before, though it is likely."

Jess grinned, "Although you aren't the son of Satan, so he just be a close accomplice."

"We can go with that."

Jess pulled away and sat back on one of the chairs. She watched Draco as he sat down in another one. "Draco?"

He looked over to her shining face that had suddenly grown quite serious. "Yes?"

"Have you picked a side yet?" She knew that he knew what she meant.

Draco thought about it for a moment before answering. "Yes I have."

"Which, can I ask?" The sense of worry in her voice was evident as she spoke.

In response to this all Draco did was laugh heartily. He laughed like he hadn't in quite some time. It got to the point that it agitated his side so he had to stop.

"What's funny about that?!" Jess demanded at once.

"I thought that would be obvious by this point."

"Well it wasn't to me!" She looked at him sternly.

"Calm down, just think about it for a minute."

"My natural response would be to say Voldemort's but, I'm not so sure anymore."

"What side are you on?" He asked casually.

"Dumbledore's of course! I don't want a power hungry, muggle hating, tyrant running around killing innocent people!"

"I'm on whatever side you align yourself with."

Jess blinked, "Really? All because of me?"

"That and I'm sick of him. As you said, he is a power hungry tyrant."

Jess' face spilt into a grin. "I'm so glad you see it my way."

Draco smirked, "But you can't tell anyone I said I'm against Voldemort." He added with a sense of utter importance.

"What? Why not? Draco if Dumbledore knows he can protect you."

"Dumbledore can't do jack squat until I'm seventeen." Draco shouted back.

Jess looked taken aback. "He can't?"

"No, I'm stuck with my god-forsaken father until then." Draco replied bitterly.

"But he's in Azkaban, by the time he gets out you'll be seventeen and can do whatever you want." Jess offered with a smile.

"Its more complicated than that." Draco didn't want to get into details about his task.

"What do you mean, Draco?"

"I can't tell you."

"Compared to everything you've told me, how bad could it be?"

"Worse."

"I sincerely doubt that, Draco. I mean what could be worse than your father treating you like that?"

"Just trust me on this alright?! I told you not to ask me hundred questions!" Draco shouted while closing his eyes and rubbing his temples.

She cautiously walked over and placed her hand lightly on his forearm. "Draco? You can tell me everything. I won't tell anyone."

Draco looked up and opened his eyes. "This is even more serious than everything I told you. By no means can anyone find out or it might be the end of our lives."

Jess looked at him and sat down next to him, nodding her head in agreement. "Alright, I promise I won't tell anyone. What is it Draco?"

He took another calming breath and looked into her dazzling green eyes. "That night, before my father beat the crap out of me."

She cringed but nodded. "Go on."

"After I got back from the Leaky Cauldron, my father was expecting someone." He paused here, trying to figure out how he should word it.

She lightly squeezed his arm, encouraging him to go on. "Who was it?"

"Voldemort."

"Voldemort? Does he come to you house often?"

"No, he only has a couple of times."

"What did he want?

"I'm getting to that."

"Oh sorry, keep going."

Draco nodded and continued. "He wanted to see me."

"You?"

"Yes me."

"That doesn't make any sense." She looked at him confused.

"It will soon enough." He replied bitterly. Jess didn't say anything and let him continue. "As I was saying, he came to talk to me. Do you remember what happened second year, with the Chamber of Secrets?"

"Yeah and how your father put that diary in Ginny's cauldron." She replied stiffly.

Draco blinked, "How did you know that?"

"Harry told me."

He snorted. "Of course, Saint Potter who can do no wrong and is always there to save the day."

Jess rolled her eyes. "Continue, Draco."

"Well, between that and the incident at the Department of Mysteries last year, my father was on pretty thin ice, having failed him twice."

"I would assume so."

"He had something he needed to be done but didn't trust me father with it. So he entrusted me to carry it out instead."

Jess looked at him. "What does he want you to do?"

He was quiet for a long time, not wanting to admit it to her. Finally he looked at his hands. "He wants me to kill Dumbledore."

She looked taken aback. "NO! You can't do that!"

"I know that!" He snapped back, not trying to.

"Did you agree to it?" She asked just about a whisper.

"I had to… He threatened to kill my mother and myself if I didn't."

"Draco…" Jess hugged him tightly. "We'll find a way."

He smiled softly and stroked her luscious brown hair. "Thanks, Jess but I have to figure this out on my own. Without Dumbledore, you won't be safe."

"Forget about me Draco. Let me help you."

"Let me think about it."

She smiled weakly. "Alright. Draco?"

"Yes?"

"I… I love you."

He grinned and kissed her softly on the lips. "I love you Jess." The pair sat there in silence, worried about one another and what was to come. The time they spent inside the Room of Requirement felt like minutes, when it was in fact hours.

Jess got up and looked down at Draco. "We should probably leave."

He nodded and stood as well. "Next time I sent you a note to meet me here, will you actually come?"

She rolled her eyes. "Of course I will. I had a difficult time not coming last time."

Draco smirked and walked with her to the door. "We'll figure this out soon enough."

Jess looked up at him. "Don't make any rash decisions about you know what, without consulting me alright?"

"I won't."

"Promise me."

"Alright, I promise."

A small smile crossed over her face. "Good, I'll see you then." She disappeared down the hall and was no longer in sight.

* * *

There we have chapter 55! Hopefully you all enjoyed it! I know it was nice to actually have more than a page of the pair together. I have no idea when I will have time to put up the next chapter, so don't expect soon. Sadly I have a month left of school and of course, that means crunch time. Blah, sometimes I hate college… Please review if you feel do inclined and I will see you all next chapter! Until then!-Jess


	56. Love and Quidditch

Hello everyone! I know its been a month.... Gah, I'm so sorry! But with the last month of school and work time magically slips away from you. Its terrible! Anyways, I do have a couple of announcements. The first one being that I am DONE WITH SCHOOL! *throws a massive party* My goodness its about freaking time! I mean, I will be going back next year. But I have finihed two years of college! Man I feel old now... The good news is though, that now I will have much more time to actually update this in a timely fashion! *gasp!* Yeah, I haven't done that since last summer have I? Also, my summer will be longer this year as I don't start until, get this, September 28th. Mwhahahahaha! I've never started that late in my entire life! I guess that's because I'm going to a different school. And not just another one here in the states, but I will be going to England! *another massive party in thrown as everyone envies me* ^_^! Seriously, I'm VERY happy about it! You all have no idea how much this next adventure means to me. I've been dieing to get over there for years... And I mean years... And I finally get to! It sucks that I have to do school at the same time, but I won't have to work! YAY! Gah I can't wait until the day I leave my job... Less than four months! *wants it to come sooner* Anyways, I do have more good news that I will enclose in the note after this chapter! Thank you for sticking around and I do not own Harry Potter!

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Draco leaned against the open door. What was he going to do? He'd have to make it look like he was trying. Also he had to make sure that no on found out that Jess knew. If they did she'd get hurt and he would not allow that. As he watched her walk away Draco realized something. Jess was the only thing that was keeping him together.

She ran up the staircase and quickly spat out the password to the Fat Lady. The Fat Lady's portrait swung open and she walked in to see Hermione, Harry and Ron huddled together. "Hey guys." Jess announced her presence and sat down next to Ron. "Any word on how Lockhart is?"

"He's back to not remembering a thing." Hermione replied, "He also had a concussion."

"Ouch."

"Where did you go? You've been gone for two hours." Leave it to Hermione to be the only one who paid attention.

"I ran into Rachel in the hall. I told her about Lockhart." She lied with ease, which was odd since she was usually terrible at lying. Maybe Draco was rubbing off on her? Jess mentally laughed.

"Oh, alright." Hermione didn't suspect anything and continued speaking. "He's been transferred to St. Mungo's already."

"That was quick."

"They figured the farther away he was from professor Snape the better."

"Probably, I had no idea he could react like that."

Ron snickered, "I'm going to make sure I avoid ticking him off that much."

"I don't think you'll have a problem with that Ron. That type of rage could only be saved for a few select people." The bushy haired stated matter of factly.

"Like Sirius or Lupin" Harry pondered aloud.

"We'll need to warn Lupin to stay away from Snape at Order meetings." Jess said with a laugh. She thought of the past Gryffindor and Slytherin in the same room after Snape had released his anger. It wasn't a pretty sight. Most instances where a Gryffindor and a Slytherin were in a room alone together, never ended well. Fingers and ears would be splattered against the walls most likely, except in the case of Jess and Draco. Jess reflected if this meeting between them had happened last year the results would have been different. But that didn't matter anymore, she loved him and he loved her. That's all that mattered, and that it would never change.

Severus paced in his study after Dumbledore had escorted him back to his office. He thought back to how he reacted, surprised that he had flown that off the handle. Snape concluded that in that one moment he had released all the anger he had felt towards anyone who had ever done him wrong. Silently he sat in his chair behind his desk and pulled out a piece of parchment. He'd have to apologize to Narcissa for canceling their meeting. After all she had been very worried about her son and wanted an update. He dipped his quill into the ink bottle and began writing. After a few minutes he stopped and re-read what he had put. It looked good enough as he got to the point concerning Draco. From what he could see, Draco was still in a bit of pain from the incident but otherwise was okay. Satisfied with how detailed he was, Severus sealed the envelope and sent an owl off with his letter. Once that was done he walked out of his room and to the Headmaster's office. Snape had a lot to tell him.

The gargoyle leapt back when Snape muttered the password. He quickly went up the spiral of stairs and knocked lightly on the door. After a couple seconds he got a response.

"Come in." Dumbledore's voice ran from the other side. Snape quietly entered the room and shut the door behind him. "Good evening Severus, please do take a seat." The professor nodded and slunk into a chair facing Dumbledore.

"Headmaster, we have some important matters that need addressing." He spoke calmly.

"I believe we do as well. Do continue, Severus." Dumbledore sat down in his large red chair.

"I have discovered what the Dark Lord has planned next."

"And what would that be?"

"He has entrusted Draco under the threat of to him and his parents to carry out a task for him."

The usual twinkled that occupied Dumbledore's eyes was no more. He nodded slowly. "Draco is still so young. I trust he is quite fed up with Lucius' failures?"

"Yes sir. He has given up hope on Lucius for the time being. Since Draco is still young, the Dark Lord thinks he has a better chance of molding him however he wants. He has seen how successful Lucius has been in instilling fear in Draco and thinks he can do the same."

"I see, and what is the task that Voldemort has asked of Draco?"

"To kill you sir." Snape looked down at his hands.

Oddly enough Dumbledore smiled. "I would say I should be flattered to be thought of as such a threat, but I do worry for the boy. Has he shown any tendencies that he could go through the ?"

"Not that I know of Headmaster. Lucius has a pretty firm grip on Draco, but he doesn't have full control."

"Oh good, then there is hope."

Snape blinked in surprise. "Sir… I'm afraid I don't understand…"

"I would not want such a horrific deed buried inside him."

Snape nodded grimly. "Draco doesn't know that I know. I was told by Narcissa and made an unbreakable vow to protect him."

"That is very noble of you Severus. Keep an eye on Draco. I have a feeling it might be in his best interest."

"I will headmaster."

"Severus? I believe there is one other student you should keep an eye on."

"Who would that be headmaster?"

"I'd like you to keep an eye on Miss. Anderson as well."

Snape blinked, completely confused as to why he would need to keep an eye on her. If there was anyone else he would have thought Dumbledore would have requested to watch he almost could have sworn

he would say Harry Potter. "Jessica Anderson? Headmaster, I don't understand why I would need to."

"I have a hunch Severus, that her and Draco are getting over their differences and are turning to each other."

Snape's response was priceless he looked completely taken aback. His mouth was slightly open and his eyes were as wide as possible. "Sir that doesn't make any sense."

"Love does not always make sense, Severus."

"Love?…" He stared blankly at Dumbledore. Love between a Gryffindor and a Slytherin? That wasn't head of! That never happened! Except… Snape looked at him helplessly. "Love, headmaster?"

"I do believe so Severus." A small smile was on Dumbledore's face. The twinkle in his eyes was back.

Snape stood at once and nodded as everything loosely fell into place. "I'll do my best sir."

"Thank you Severus, it will be a big help."

He nodded and walked to the door. "Anything I can do for this love…" Snape didn't look at Dumbledore as he shut the door and wandered back into his room, a massive headache pounding in rhythm to the increase of his heart beating.

Eventually Jess and Draco decided it would be a good idea to go their separate ways for the night. Jess went up to the Gryffindor tower as Draco reluctantly went down to the Slytherin dungeons. He was at ease though, knowing that this would last, that he wouldn't have to fight for her anymore, he had already done plenty of that and it was now time to bask in his glory.

Saturday morning Draco rolled out of bed around ten. The rest of the room was sleeping as he took a shower and got dressed. There was no need to rush. So Draco took his sweet time. After dressing in all black and styleing his hair in the mirror, Draco went down to breakfast just as his roommates were waking up.

There was usually tension on Quidditch weekends between the opposing houses but today was different. It was one of those Quidditch matches that no one had any doubt as to who would win. Gryffindor had it in the bag. There was no way that Hufflepuff would stand a chance. These were always the most boring games and Draco wondered why he was even bothering to show up. Oh that's right, Jess would be there to cheer her team on. Like they needed it, he snorted. Once upon a time Hufflepuff had actually been a formidable team. That all died along with their seeker Cedric Diggory when he died a year and a half ago. But as boring as this match would be, he wanted to see Jess in public and decided to suck it up. He wound his green and silver scarf around his neck before standing up and making his way over to the Quidditch pitch.

Jess and Hermione had their normal checkered maroon and gold hankies that they brought along with them as they walked out to the stands. "I have a feeling this is going to be a quick game." Jess commented as they arrived.

"It might take Harry a while to find the snitch." Hermione replied as they stepped foot into the actual arena.

"True, with games like this I wish we didn't have to wait around until someone caught the snitxh."

"It's not that bad Jess."

"It's like watching paint dry, Hermione. Hufflepuff gets slaughtered every time."

" I suppose you're right. Ever since Cedric you know…"

"Ever since he kicked the bucket?" Came Draco's usual drawl from behind them.

Hermione turned and faced him. By the looks of it, Crabbe and Goyle had decided to join him. "Shove off Malfoy."

He smirked at her. "Is that all you have to say?"

Jess cut in front of Hermione. "We would also like it if you'd wear a bag on your head so we don't have to keep resisting the urge to vomit." She replied, while looking Draco right in the eyes.

Draco scowled and rolled his eyes. "Like you're a much better sight to behold."

"Yes I am, because I at least don't look like a ferret."

His eyes narrowed slightly. "I'd rather look like an animal than a piece of trash any day."

Jess grew silent as he laughed sharply. Crabbe abd Goyle laughed beside him. She gave him one last glare before stalking off into the stands, Hermione hot on her heels. "That pompous twit! One of these days I'm going to give him a taste of his own medicine." Jess growled while sitting down next to Neville.

"Don't pay attention to him Jess. He's an idiot and you know that. Malfoy just wants to see how riled up he can get you. The more you react the happier he'll be." The bushy haired said while sitting next to her.

"I know 'Mione but its still annoying. He bothers me so much I just want to smack him!"

"We all do."

Jess folded her arms across her chest and focused on the pitch in front of her. The game would begin in a matter of minutes. Soon enough Madam Hooch came out with the box that held all the balls used in Quidditch. "Line up everyone." She instructed as the teams moved around to their positions. "Captains come forward and shake hands." Harry came forward and shook the hand of the seventh year Hufflepuff boy. "Mount your brooms." Everyone picked up their booms and mounted. They hovered about ten feet in the air as Madam Hooch opened the box. The Bludgers flew out at top speed, as well as the golden snitch. She threw up the Quaffle and the game began.

As everyone had predicted, Gryffindor had a clean sweep on control in the game. Five minutes in the score was thirty to zero in favor of Gryffindor. They would never be the same without Cedric, no matter how hard they tried.

Harry in the meantime kept a close eye out for the snitch. The sooner he ended the game the better. There was no need to humiliate the Hufflepuff team. He hoped that Ron 'accidentally' let a couple goals go through just to keep up the other teams spirit.

Ron was beyond bored on his side of the field. None of the chasers came even close to him. He thought a nap might be in order. Slowly he closed his eyes and he stayed like this for fifteen minutes before he heard the Quaffle whoosh past him and into the far right hoop. Ginny rolled her eyes at him as Ron woke up and almost fell off his Cleansweep. He looked at her and shrugged as he tossed the Quaffle to Alicia. Well at least the Hufflepuff's had scored, even if it was because Ron dozed off due to the lack of anything to do. He wouldn't get any action until ten minutes later.

The crowd was as equally bored as Ron was. There really was no point to the game. The Gryffindor's began to half-heartedly cheer after the sixth goal. This would have been a good practice for anyone who wanted to learn how to play Quidditch. After an hour and fifteen minutes Harry finally caught the snitch. The final score was 240 to 20. Ron had let another goal by due to the fact that he sneezed.

Jess and Hermione walled out onto the field to congratulate the team. They gave Harry, Ron and Ginny all hugs for doing a good job. The hug between Ron and Hermione was awkward and as brief as possible. Hermione joined Ginny as they began talking about something ot another. Jess decided to go back into the castle, but got grabbed along the way.

She looked up to see the extraordinary bleach hair that belonged to none other than Draco. "What do you think you're doing? Someone will see u!"

"If you realized it, the stands were half empty before the game was over." He replied while looking at her.

"But still."

Draco led her into the castle. "I was wondering when you wanted to meet next."

She thought for a moment. "How about Monday night? Harry and Hermione might get suspicious if I disappear for a while tonight."

He nodded, "Same place?"

"Yeah that would probably be best."

"Same time?"

"Eight?"

"Yes."

"Yeah that works. I'll let you know if anything changes."

"You mean you're going to actually show up? I'm amazed." Draco responded sarcastically.

"Oh shut up!" She went to smack him in the side but Draco grabbed her wrist. "I forgot." She murmured as he let go. "Does it hurt now?"

"Not really, its more annoying than anything else." He shrugged it off as though it was nothing.

"Being stabbed is nothing?" Jess looked at him with a raised eyebrow.

"It hurt worse when it actually happened. It'll go away soon enough."

"I don't understand you, Draco."

He smirked. "Funny, I don't either."

She shook her head while laughing. "You're hopeless then."

"I'm afraid so. I'll see you Monday night then?"

"Yeah unless Hermione locks me in our room to do homework."

Draco couldn't help but laugh. "You didn't think of how wrong that would sound before you said it did you?"

Her cheeks were a light pink. "No I didn't."

He grinned again. "Well that's obvious."

"Quiet you."

"Make me."

"That probably wouldn't be the best idea in public."

Draco wound his arm around her waist and pulled her close to him while whispered in her ear. "Try me."

She grew a few shades darker as she tried to pull away. "Draco! Let me go! People will walk by any minute now!"

"That's not a good excuse you know?" His arm stayed wrapped around her.

"Draco please?"

He let go of her. "As you wish." Draco began to walk off.

Jess took a couple steps forward and grabbed his hand. "Oh don't be so difficult."

"Who said I was being difficult?" Draco simply grinned as Jess rolled her eyes. "I love it when you do that."

Jess blushed yet again. "Thanks."

"Don't mention it."

"Did you know that you're an expert at manipulating any situation to your favor?" Jess asked while looking up at him.

"I've been told that before. It comes with the Malfoy name." He replied with a smirk.

"Ah I see, well you're a pro."

"Thanks, I take pride in my work."

She shook her head. "You're impossible."

"But that's what you love about me right?"

Jess sighed and nodded. "Yes unfortunately."

Draco chuckled. "Face it Jess, I'm absolutely irresistible. No one can refuse my charm and good looks. He stood proudly with a smug smirk on his face.

"You're just full of yourself." She replied bluntly.

"That also comes with the Malfoy name." Draco added as a after thought.

She laughed again and could hear people drawing close. "I'll see you on Monday."

He nodded and looked back. "Bye." Draco then turned the corner and was out of sight.

Jess rolled her eyes and made her way back to the Gryffindor tower where there was a party underway. Ginny grinned as Jess came in and nearly bulldozed her over. "The party had officially begun!" The two s smiled at each other and went to go hang out with other members of their house. Ron and Harry were having a good time drinking butterbeers while Hermione had opted out of the party and was instead upstairs doing her homework. It was too bad she didn't come down because she missed all the fun. But Jess, Ginny, Harry, and Ron knew not to get in-between Hermione and her homework. That was a disaster waiting to happen.

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Its great to be back! I honestly hope I'm never gone that long ever again! I feel so bad, but at the same it needed to be done. -_- Darn school, and work and blah.... I seem to have my peppiness back though! Thank God its about darn time! Oh, so other good news. Yes I almost forgot.... I actually, somehow managed to during the last month started re-reading the beloved HP series. *is currently on her favorite book POA* The more I read it, the more little things I notice. Also the fact that I positively love Draco. He's a prat, I'll admit it. He needs to be smacked, I'll admit that too. But I still love him! Anyways, between the re-reading of HP and the fact that I now am on summer vacation I have developed a new energy, one that I had which resulted in the start of this story! Which means, I'm going to try and out chapters as soon as I can, and continue writing! I need to hop back on the sequel to this.. Yes! You heard me, I HAVE started the sequel. Let's just see if I can finish it hahaha.... But I have a feeling I will, you guys will kill me if I don't! Yay motivation of not being ! Well, I think that was my other good news! I'd like to thank you guys all again for waiting this long and not ending me mail of how I'm giving you withdrawl... Hopefully this will suffice for now, as I'm headed out for the night! You guys are wonderful! Until next chapter!-Jess


	57. Shrieking Shack

Hello again everyone! Wow this is relatively quick isn't? I don't think I've updated this quickly in months... Well I had some time so I thought why not and give you guys something to read! I think that's all I really have to say, so... I do not own Harry Potter!

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Sunday morning was very uneventful as the students woke up. Jess walked over to Ginny's room and knocked. A couple moments later the door opened and the smiling redhead came out. "Hey Jess!"

"Hey Gin, I was wondering if you wanted to hang out?"

"Sure, let me grab my cloak and I'll be right out." Ginny shut the door and grabbed her cloak. She re-opened the door a minute later. "Okay I'm ready!"

Jess laughed lightly. "I take it you want to go outside then?"

"Something like that." She adjusted her scarf. "Where's Hermione?"

"Oh she's knee deep in the next two weeks worth of homework." Jess responded casually as they started walking.

"Not to sound mean, but she needs a life."

"I couldn't agree with you more, Gin. She's pretty dead set on working on it today though. Besides its been a while since just the two of us did something together."

"Hey, I know what we should do!" Ginny looked over at Jess and smiled."

"Do I want to know is the question."

The redhead rolled her eyes. "We should go sneak off to Hogsmeade."

"And which path do you suggest taking? The one eyed witch statue or the Whomping Willow?"

Ginny grinned all the more. "The Whomping Willow, it'll prove to be more of a challenge."

"Do you remember where the knot is on the tree? That's the only way we're going to survive."

"I think so, lets go check it out!" Ginny ran down the stairs with Jess following after her. The pair made their way down the barren halls and out to the great outdoors. They walked out to the Whomping Willow and stood a safe distance from its trashing limbs. "Hmm." The redhead pondered on how they were going to do this.

Jess on the other hand walked around the tree to see if there were any weak spots. About halfway around the tree she stopped. "Hmm, no that's the farthest spot from the knot." Jess had made it about three fourths way around the tree. "This looks like the best angle." She looked over to Ginny. "Oy! Gin, over here!"

Ginny looked up and ran over to Jess. "Yeah?"

"Alright, this here is going to be our best shot. Now one of us is going to have to distract the Whomping Willow while the other one makes a run for it and touches the knot. What role do you want?" She asked while looking at Ginny.

"I'll distract the tree."

Jess rolled her eyes. "Great, that leaves me with the responsibility of both of our lives in my hands."

Ginny placed a hand on her shoulder. "Better you than me."

She looked at her. "Was that supposed to be comforting?"

"No, not really, just stating the truth."

"Alright… Tell me when your ready."

Ginny made her way away from Jess and stood directly in front of the temperamental tree. "Ready!" Ginny then dared to step into the trees personal bubble. The Whomping Willow acted violently and lunged a limb at her. She dodged it at the last second and out of the corner of her eye saw Jess run into the tangle of limbs. Ginny rolled away from the limb that was rapidly descending towards her.

Jess weaved through the chaotic limbs. She tripped on one of the big roots sticking up and fell flat on her face. The Whomping Willow then sensed her presence and tried to attack her. "Jess!" Ginny's voice yelled in concern as Jess crawled toward the trunk. The knot was in view as she reached up, only to have a small branch smack her hand away. She recoiled slightly but then thrusted her hand forward and it encompassed the surface of the knot. The Whomping Willow grew still.

Ginny ran over to Jess and helped her up. "That was intense. Are you okay?"

Jess got up on her feet and dusted herself off. "Yeah, I'm fine. That was close though." She looked down at her left hand that was throbbing. "Looks like it got me after all."

The redheaded girl's face grew into a slight frown. "That looks like that would really hurt. Do you ant to go to the hospital wing and have it checked out?"

She shook it off. "Nah, it'll be fine. I mean it hurts, but it'll go away soon enough. Let's go before it comes back to life again." Jess looked up to the still Whomping Willow. The fact that the Whomping Willow was still gave a sense of unsettling feelings in the air. It also made the pair a bit jumpy as they quickly went into the entrance of the tree and down the dark path. They kept their eyes ahead, looking for the faint light that would soon surface. At last the light did break through and Jess and Ginny made their way into the Shrieking Shack.

"This place always reminds me of professor Lupin, and Sirius." Jess commented while walking over a floorboard that groaned under her weight. After all it was in the Shrieking Shack that Jess, Harry, Hermione and Ron confronted professor Lupin and Sirius at the end of third year.

"I wish I would have been there." Ginny replied while sitting on a chair covered with a thick sheet of dust.

Jess looked around the room and smiled when she noticed the obvious trail that everyone had walked less than three years ago. "Ginny look! There's a lighter coat of dust where we walked in here back in third year."

Ginny craned her neck and smiled. "That's kind of weird, and shows that no one comes in here."

"The footprints we tred today will be visible years from now. That's an eerie thought. Its also kind of weird that now Sirius is gone, but his physical memory is still present in this house. There's evidence that not long ago he still walked the earth besides us. It's disheartening to know that he's no more."

"I miss Sirius." Ginny commented while absent mindedly starring up at the stairs that led to the school the whole scene played out at the end of third year.

"We probably shouldn't bring Harry in here it there are still remnants of Sirius here. I think its too soon to subject him to something like that. Sirius hasn't even gone for a year yet." Jess sighed, remembering how happy Harry had been when he learned that Sirius wasn't a murderer, and that it was Peter Pettigrew who had really betrayed his parents. She also remembered how ecstatic Harry had been with the slightest chance of leaving the Dursley's forever and living with Sirius. Sirius was easily well liked and Jess for certain had respected him for who he was, a loyal friend to the very end. This is why Jess thought his anamagi being a big black dog had fit him perfectly. Still, the topic f Sirius' death was still a very touchy topic to talk about in front of Harry. He always blamed himself for what happened for no good reason. Jess sat down in another dust littered chair and faced Ginny. "Hey Gin?"

She looked over to Jess. "Yeah, Jess?"

"Do you think the war is coming soon?"

" I hope not! All summer mum and dad were hush, hush about the war." Ginny sighed while pulling back her fire red hair into a pony tail. "By the way they're acting I think it'll happen soon. Sooner than anyone is ready for."

Jess nodded in response. "Yeah, that was my thought as well. I don't know if I'm ready for it Gin. If a full out war breaks out before the end of the year, I won't have time to warn my parents to go into hiding. And then there's Harry. He had enough burden on his shoulders already. It is really fair to trust him with the fate of the wizarding world?"

She thought for a moment before answering. "As we've said before Jess, Harry doesn't have much of a choice. It's unfair though, he's not even a legal wizard yet he had to worry about defeating the dark lord."

"He handles it well though. I'm surprise he hasn't gone absolutely crazy yet. I think I would have if I was him."

Ginny looked up the stairs. "He's been on his own all his life. He had a place to live with the Dursley's but I wouldn't consider that much of a security or comfort. I know I'd like to give them a piece of my mind on how they treated Harry. They treat him worse than an animal!" A little color graced her cheeks from the anger she felt.

Jess smiled and looked at her. "After all these years Gin, you still like him like that?"

The redhead sighed and nodded her head. "Yeah, I do."

"You've hid it pretty well I must say, Harry hasn't noticed."

"I try my best. But he was happy with you Jess, why did you break up?"

Jess looked at Ginny seriously. "Over time it was obvious to me it wasn't me who had his heart."

Ginny merely blinked. "What?! You two were perfect for each other!"

This got a laugh out of Jess. "Hardly, we both realized that it wasn't each other we wanted."

Ginny looked at her in disbelief. "Both of you?"

"Yes Gin, both of us. I was the one to notice it first and save the both of us a lot of grief and confusion."

"Who does Harry like then? It isn't Cho again is it?" She visibly cringed at the mention of the now seventh year Ravenclaw.

Jess started laughing at the mention of Cho. "Of course not! If you haven't realized it by now Ginny, me telling you won't get it across either."

"What do you mean by that?"

"Sometimes you and Ron and quite alike."

"We are not!" She huffed in annoyance. "Tell me who it is Jess."

"Nope my lips are sealed."

"You're so unfair!" Ginny pouted like a five year old.

"Not really, you're just demanding." Jess pointed out.

"Whatever." She dropped it "So, who do you like then?"

A light blush crept up on Jess' cheeks. "I don't want to say."

"Does he go here?" Ginny asked anyways.

"Yeah he does…"

"Is he in sixth or seventh year?"

"Sixth."

"Hmm, is he a Gryffindor?"

"No."

"Ravenclaw?"

"No."

"Hufflepuff?"

"I think that's enough Ginny." Jess soot and brushed off her pants. "Let's go into town or something."

"You're avoiding the question Jess." Ginny stood as well.

"So?"

"I won't let you get away with it."

"Fine, no, he's not in Hufflepuff."

Ginny looked at her curiously. "But that only leaves Slytherin." Jess was already half way out the door when this dawned on Ginny. "Wait!" She ran after her. "A Slytherin?"

"It's just a crush Ginny, nothing will come from it." Jess responded quickly while shutting the front door behind them."

"Wait a minute. You had this same problem back in third year, and you made me promise not to tell anyone. Jess, is it Malfoy?"

Jess stopped in her tracks and sighed. "Yeah, it is."

"Oh Jess…" Ginny gave her a reassuring hug. "He is good looking but he's rotten on the inside."

"I know Gin, and I'll get over it just like last time. Don't worry about it okay?"

"I'll help you just like last time." Ginny reassured her."

Jess just nodded. But she didn't intend to getting over it. Not when he liked her back. Ginny didn't know that he was different, only Jess could see it. She would just have to lie to Ginny for the time being, though she hated to, but there was no other way. Not without getting Draco hurt or trouble.

"Do you have any idea why it came up again, Jess?" Ginny asked curiously.

"I think its because of that project we had at the beginning of the year. I actually saw him not acting like a prick once."

Ginny couldn't help but burst out laughing. "Sorry that isn't funny, but at the same time it is."

"Don't worry Gin, its just I think he's attractive, and I knew Harry already liked someone else."

"Alright, I'll take your word for it."

"Thanks, now back to the previous topic. What do you think you're going to do if the war starts really soon?"

"I'll try and fight of course!"

"Gin, you're not seventeen yet."

"So what? This is my world too you know! Being legal age hasn't stopped any of us in the past now has it?"

Jess grinned at her. "No it hasn't."

"So what do you think you're going to do?"

"Fight of course, and help Harry in any way that I can."

"We'll fight side by side then."

Jess smiled. "I like the sound of that."

Ginny smiled as well. "So do I."

"I wish we knew what we could do in the meantime to get ready."

"I don't think there's much we can do Jess."

"Yes there is."

"And what would that be?"

"To brush up on our skills, study hard and learn new spells that will be important for our survival. Also to pay attention in Defense Against the Dark Arts."

Ginny rolled her eyes. "Do you know how much you sounded like Hermione just then?"

She laughed slightly. "Probably far too much than is healthy."

"Exactly."

"Oh come on, give me some slack!"

"Hmm… No."

"Now who's the unfair one?"

"Oh shut up!" Both of the girls laughed as they walked into Hogsmeade. They spent the rest of the afternoon talking and hanging out in the wizard town.

Draco was in his room with his potions book. No matter how much he tried he couldn't focus on it. Finally Draco gave up and put the book away. Now that he had some free time he had a lot of time to think, and thinking could sometimes be dangerous. Today happened to be one of those days that no matter how much you tried you couldn't get that one thought out of your head.

For Draco that thought was what was he supposed to do in regards to his task. He had already told Jess that he wouldn't do it, but at the same time he worried for his and his mother's life. Voldemort would surely come and kill both of them if Draco failed. He didn't know what was more important, joining Dumbledore's side of staying on Voldemort's.

Draco ran a hand through his vibrant hair as she sat at the desk in the room. Crabbe, Goyle and Zabini were gone. It was a miracle that they trusted Zabini and Draco in the same room, after what happened to Jess. Then again, no one knew about them secretly meeting up to be with each other. And is was going to stay that way. There was no need to be suicidal and tell everyone. After all there were two lives involved in this relationship, his and Jess'. He'd rather turn himself in to Voldemort to finish him off than to have Jess hurt because of him.

The worst part about the whole ordeal is that there was no one for Draco to talk about it with. Well there was his mother, but she was just as afraid as he was, and he could tell. He didn't want to worry her more than she already was. After all she had her husband in Azkaban and her son trying to plot the assassination of one of the most powerful wizards known to man. She had enough to her plate, and Draco was going to try his hardest not to add onto it.

He had already talked to Jess about it, but there wasn't much she could help him with, except to tell him not to so it. She didn't have any solutions to the problem nor would she most likely in the future. And that was fine with him, he didn't want to get her so involved that she couldn't escape. She was the one he cared most for in this world. Draco couldn't have her getting hurt because of him.

Sp then who was he to turn to? He couldn't tell Crabbe and Goyle due to the fact that they probably wouldn't understand his dilemma and would have to dumb it down enough so that a five year old could explain it. And that would be beyond annoying. There was Pansy he could tell, but then half of the school would find out, that wasn't a good option either. There was Zabini, but as previously stated it was a miracle in itself that Draco hadn't murdered him. And of course he wasn't going to go and tell Potty, Weasel and the bookworm. That would be a disaster waiting to happen. First Scarhead and the Weasel would try to kill him for talking to Jess. Then he'd be thrown in a jail cell next to his father. Draco was going to go through all means necessary to avoid that fate.

Sp now that he ruled out virtually everyone he could tell, who was he going to tell? Dumbledore? Draco snorted. That would go over well. He could imagine it now. Walking into his office, brandishing his wand and dictating to Dumbledore that he was going to kill him. Because everyone responds well to death threats right? More like Dumbledore would bring him to St. Mungo's and put him in the psych ward. Oh how much fun that would be to spend any length of time in close proximity with all those crackpots. Draco was just jumping for the chance; not.

He couldn't tell any of the professor since they would react in the same exact way. Wait, maybe not all of them would. What about professor Snape? He was Draco's head of house and Draco was by far his favorite student. He wouldn't rat him out right? After all he was still in Voldemort's close circle. He'd know what to do. He wouldn't need to tell Snape about Jess though. Maybe he would pawn the job off on Snape. That way no one would get killed, well except Dumbledore, poor chap. But that was Jess wouldn't get mad at him, and instead be pissed at Snape. Though, she just might see through that façade and in the end blame Draco regardless. This task started to dig Draco deeper in even though he resisted. Maybe that was the key, to not resist. That's how he got his father to stop beating him. He would admit his failure, not really mean it secretly, and move on. But he didn't want to lie to Jess. So if he just sat back and let everything play out how destiny wanted it to maybe everything would work out in the end. Or he would hope with all his being that it would. So maybe Snape didn't have to be dragged into this, and maybe Jess didn't either. Maybe even Draco himself didn't have to be too involved. Maybe Dumbledore would just keel over to make life simpler for Draco. Hey, it could happen. Dumbledore was ancient to begin with right? Maybe he would just expire before the end of this year. Unfortunately this didn't seem likely.

Draco had plenty of time to try and figure it out later. He had spent too much of his precious free time on it today anyways. Not that his homework was much more appealing. Whoever said like was easy for the son of the richest wizarding family was lying.

Crabbe and Goyle walked into the room and stood looking at Draco. He rose an eyebrow and looked up at them. "What is it?"

"Lunch," replied the pair."

"Oh, go by yourselves, I don't want any.."

They looked at him stupidly for a few minutes before Draco finally caved in. He stood up and walked over to the pair, not stopping and passed them by. "Well come on, let's go!" He snapped as Crabbe and Goyle regained functioning in their legs and followed him out.

The trip was quiet except for the fact that Crabbe and Goyle literally stomped down the hall. Draco rolled his eyes and tried to drown out the noise by thinking about something else. Once they got there the three assumed their normal seats. Pansy was there and sidled up to Draco as usual. She babbled on about some nonsense and Draco continued to tune everyone out. He wasn't in the best of moods to put up with any of them right now.

He looked over at the Gryffindor table and noticed that only three of the four golden group members were there. To his disappointment the one he actually wanted to see was the one that was missing. He quickly made a glance down his table and noticed that Zabini was in fact present. That was a relief that meant that Jess was safe. Since he and Jess wee meeting each other privately outside of classes, Draco assumed it was his responsibility again to look out for and protect her.

Jess and Ginny came back later in the afternoon and were present at dinner. Hermione of course asked them where they went and why Jess' left hand looked like a large bruise. Jess and Ginny just laughed not wanting to explain. Draco was relieved to see that Jess was at dinner. He was able to resume normal functioning and anticipate tomorrow night and what it would behold.

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Well there we have chapter 57. I know not a lot happened, but hey they were both in the chapter. Maybe not together but they both were... So there you have it! Thank you to all of you that reviewed last time and hopefully this hcpater is up to your standards as well! Until next chapter!-Jess


	58. Erumpents

Hello again! I know this is sooner than any of you thought possible! Three updates in a week? Is she mad?! No, I just felt bad about the abscence of updates so I guess I'm making up for it all at once... I think this one will get either a chuckle, or a 'aww' out of you all. Either I'm fine with. This one as you might have noticed is quite a bit longer. I hope you all enjoy it! I do not own Harry Potter.

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Monday morning came soon enough, Jess focused on her classes intently, not letting her nerves surface. She was excited to be meeting with Draco, but at the same time she was trying to figure out how she was going to tell Hermione, Ron, and Harry. They would lock her away if they knew that she was going to willingly endure spending time with Draco Malfoy. She'd have to come up with a good lie, even though she herself d lying and was terrible at it to begin with. History of Magic went by at an alarmingly rate compared to the usual sluggish pace it took. The students all walked to the Great Hall for lunch since it had been their double class. Jess sat down quietly and looked up and over to the Slytherin table. There was Draco in his usual place, he looked irritated as Pansy sweet talked him to . A small grin crept up on her face as Draco looked over at Jess in a way that was asking her to end his misery and hill him now. Jess couldn't help but laugh.

Hermione looked over at her. "What is it Jess?" She looked over in the direction of where she was looking over.

Jess looked back over at Hermione. "Look at Malfoy, Pansy is slowly him, its pretty funny to watch."

Hermione looked over and saw that Draco was bored out of his skull. A smile crossed on her face as well. "That is too funny."

"I thought so." Jess then looked away from Draco and back to her friends. "Do you guys have any plans after classes?"

"Well, we were thinking of practicing some Quidditch while 'Mione did out homework for us." Ron responded calmly.

This got a glare out of the bushy haired . "I will not be doing your homework for you, Ronald."

"Don't call me that." He barked back.

Harry and Jess looked at each other as the pair got into a mild row. Jess rolled her eyes as Harry shook his head. Would they ever just get along?

"Well that sounds like a lot of fun." Jess commented in a raised voice above them to get their attention. "I'm not going to join you three."

Hermione grew silent and then looked at Jess. "You're not?"

"Nope, I'm going to hang out with Rachel." She lied quickly, feeling the sensation of acid flowing down her throat. She d lying, yet she had to do it.

"Oh, alright. Tell her that I said hello."

"Will do. We had better get to class though." She noticed that the hall was emptying. Jess grabbed her books as Hermione was already halfway to the door.

The rest of the class part of the day went smoothly. Now that her friends were under the impression that she would be with Rachel tonight, it made her more at ease. The only thing Jess needed to do now was find Rachel. That was said easier than done. After classes Jess literally stalked the possible halls that Rachel would walk down on a normal day. After about twenty minutes of searching down the long halls she finally found her. "Rachel!" Jess yelled to get her attention, while she jogged up to her.

The tall brown haired turned her head and noticed Jess. A grin crossed Rachel's face as Jess stopped in front of her. "Hey Jess, how are you?"

"I'm alright, yourself?"

"I'm great! The weekend was pretty fun, though I didn't see you. You must have been busy."

Jess smiled at her. "No, not really. I mean there was the Quidditch game but that didn't last long. I guess we just didn't cross paths. Oh, on Sunday I went with Ginny to Hogsmeade, almost got killed by the Whomping Willow. That was pretty fun."

She laughed lightly. "Almost getting killed can be fun I guess. That's not what you came to talk to me about though is it?"

"No… Not at all."

Rachel issued them outside and sat down on one of the cold benches. "Alright, what is it?"

Jess sighed softly while running a hand through her lush russet hair. "I need you to cover for me."

"Okay, explain please?"

"Sure, I owe you an explanation if I'm asking you a favor. I have a meeting tonight with a guy and I told Hermione that I was spending time with you tonight so she wouldn't be on me about it. If she comes up to you tomorrow ands asks you what we did I need you to come up with something."

Rachel nodded in understanding. Her large brown eyes focused on Jess' large emerald eyes. "Who's the guy?"

Jess' cheeks tinted a light pink. "It's fairly new Rachel. I don't want to go tell anyone yet."

"Alright, you're going to tell me eventually right?"

She nodded apprehensively. 'when the time is right, though I don't know if that right time will ever come."

"What do you mean, Jess?" Rachel looked at her, slightly worried.

"I don't know Rachel, its just too complicated. I can't explain it, its too new. The two of us have to work it out and see if this is right."

She placed a hand on Jess' shoulder. "You'll work it out, I kneow you will. You always do, there isn't anyone more suited to work it out."

"Thanks Rachel, do you think you can cover for me?" Jess looked up from her hands and back over to one of her closest friends.

Rachel smiled softly at her. "Yeah, I can."

"Thanks, in the meantime would you like to hang out?"

"Sure that would be great!" The pair spent time together until dinner time, when they went to their respected tables. After dinner they convened again for a brief period, when Jess spoke up. "It's twenty minutes to eight, I should go."

"Alright Jess, good luck."

"Thanks again, Rachel."

"No problem."

Jess ran off back into the school. It would take her about fifteen minutes to get to her destination since the castle was so large. Up seven flights of stairs and she was finally on the seventh floor. Jess had a couple minutes to spare as she saw Draco with the door to the Room of Requirement open.

"Nice of you to show." He remarked with a smirk.

Jess simply rolled her eyes. "You knew I was going to come."

"I did but it is nice of you to keep your word. Shall we go in?" Draco watched her walk in and followed suit. The room resembled what it had last time, a warm and cozy sitting room with shelves of books decorating the walls.

Jess sat on the couch and Draco sat down next to her. "Draco?"

He looked over at her. "Yes?"

"I think we need to discuss how this is going to work. We also need to think about what we should do if someone finds out about us. I can't keep lying to Hermione about my where abouts with the excuses I've formulated. I need a better one, one that would make more sense as to why I'm being so secretive about it."

Draco again smirked. "Again you've come to the perfect place then."

She looked over to him. "What's that supposed to mean?"

"The ability to come up with believable lies is a family trait in my family."

Jess nodded, "I lying though. I've never liked it and I've tried to stay away from it at all costs."

"I'm afraid there's no choice now. It's either lie or be found out. Which one do you prefer?"

"Neither."

"I figure that's the 'Gryffindor' thing to say."

"Draco, incase you haven't noticed my house is Gryffindor." She replied sarcastically.

"As a matter of fact I have, and that is part of the reason this is so difficult."

"And that you're a Slytherin." Jess felt the need to add.

"Yes, that as well."

"And the fact that your father is a foul git."

Draco nodded but didn't say anything in defense of his father. That's exactly how he felt, except for on a mild level. Draco felt much more strongly against his father and everything he stood for. "The best form of a lie is to have some truth to it." He began to explain. "For example, tell Granger that why you're gone so much is that you're meeting up with someone. That part is true, and you wouldn't have to lie."

"Yes but if I do that than she's going to ask who and why I meet them in private."

"Then provide a bit more of the truth, tell her you're meeting up with a guy but you don't feel comfortable having everyone know/"

"Hmm, because he's from a different house, let's say Ravenclaw, and that we sort of like each other and don't want to come out yet, like Harry and I did."

Draco smirked. "You said you weren't good at lying."

"I'm not, I'll have to try and keep a straight face."

"You'll manage better than most. The truth in that lie outweighs the lie itself. The only thing you switched was the house the other person was in so they would never assume its me."

"No offense Draco, but they would have the most terrible reactions if I told them the complete truth. It's better this way so they somewhat get off my case."

Draco grinned, "I would think that would get annoying."

"It is. What are you going to tell your fellow Slytherins?"

"Nothing."

"Nothing? But won't they question where you're going?"

"Let me put it this way. The few people who would dare ask me where I'm going are Crabbe, Goyle and Pansy. The first two, I could tell them anything and believe it without a moment's hesitation. As for Parkinson, if I lay my charm on thick enough I could be telling her I wish she'd drop and she would want me to pay her more attention."

Jess merely blinked. "That's sad and pathetic. I wish my friends sometimes weren't as observant as they were."

"What about the Weasel?"

"Ron, eventually catches on." She stressed his name, not liking the nickname Draco had for him.

"Fair enough, in the meantime what do we do now?"

"Anything we like, we figured out a solution to our problem."

This is what Draco had been waiting for all weekend. He wrapped an arm around her shoulder and with his hand stroked her soft lush hair. His slender fingers tangled in it, becoming lost in the vast amount of hair. Jess smiled up at him, taking in the moment as if it was their last. She placed her hand over Draco's hand. "I've been waiting for this." He commented as his fingers finally resurfaced, only to be buried in her hair all over again.

"I know, so have I. It never felt this way when I was with Harry. Nothing has ever felt this right."

Draco gave her a genuine smile and pulled her closer. "I know what you mean." He replied in a low voice as he brushed a lock of her hair from her face. "I hope it never ends."

"It won't end, it can't. I can't go back to the way things used to be." Jess replied with much determination in her voice.

"It would be cruel if things returned to how they were. I won't allow it."

"Neither will I."

"it's going to get rough, Jess. I hope you know that."

Jess looked up into his eyes. "I have some sort of feeling it will, but it sounds like you mean even more so."

He nodded, never taking his gaze off of her. His fingers laid motionless in her hair. "I have to make it look like I still want to take the path my father has set for me. I have to make some sort of weak attempt to take Dumbledore's life. At moment's I'll still need you to me in appearance so no one will connect your name with mine, for your safety."

"I could never you. Not ever again."

"I know Jess, but you need to make it look like you do. I can't let you get hurt."

"As well as I can't let you get hurt."

"Just listen to me!" Draco's voice had raised. "I've already accepted the fact that I easily might get hurt, so its not an issue. Think of what I went through this last Christmas holidays. If I can handle that and shrug it off I can handle just about anything thrown at me. I'll be fine Jess, I'm strong. That's all I've been allowed to be while growing up. I'll survive and then come back to you."

A silent tear slid down her face. "I know what you went through over Christmas, and it was because of me. I don't want you risking your like because of me again! I want to help you in any way that I can! Please just let me!" Jess looked up at him with tears in her eyes. She d to see him get hurt because of her. It was just unfair.

Draco enveloped her in a comforting hug. His strong arms supported her, never breaking apart as if to hold off any worries or problems of the world from harming her. Draco softly kissed the top of her forehead. "It wasn't because of you Jess. Please believe that, it was because I was careless in my actions. I promise you I will not die in this war and neither will you. On the last day when the final battle has been fought, we'll stand together, stronger than ever, because not even could tear us apart."

She looked up into his light blue eyes, being drown in their warmth and love. "Promise me that you won't perish."

"You have my word." He gave her a tight squeeze. "You'll have me as long as you can stand me. I will only leave when you want me no more."

Jess laughed lightly. "I will always want you."

He grinned while taking one of his arms from around her and wiping her tears away with his thumb. "Then I am yours forever."

"As I am yours forever."

"That's all I need in this world."

"Draco?" Jess murmured softly.

"Yes?"

"How can you hide this from everyone day to day? You're completely different compared to what you show everyone around you."

Draco sighed, trying to think of the best was to put it. "Since as long as I can remember, my father has tried to stomp out this part of me. I fought against it for a while, but then found tat the ultimate way to truly fight against it was to hide it. I made him believe that it was all gone, when it was just buried deep. It came with a lot of sacrifices though, I lost all touch with it over the years to the point that I almost forgot it existed. I was only reminded of it through you."

Jess smiled sadly at him. "One day you won't have to hide it from anyone anymore."

"For now I'm content just with you seeing the truth. It's a relief to have one person who knows what you've been hiding for all these years."

"I would imagine so. It must have been hard."

"At first it was, but gradually it became more simple, to the point where it came as second nature."

"There truly is more to you than I thought, Draco. After knowing you for five years I thought I had you pegged, only to have this curve ball thrown at me."

Draco's lips curled into his trademark smirk. "Malfoy's are known to be unpredictable."

"It'll just make it more fun for me to uncover the true Draco Malfoy." Jess looked at the clock to see that it was almost ten at night. Filch and Mrs. Norris would soon be handing out detentions for being out after hours. "I to do this, but we should go."

He casually looked at the clock and then stood. "You're right. When will work for you next?"

Jess stood as well, while pondering his question. "How about Thursday night?"

"Same time?"

"Yeah, that works."

He smirked and pulled her close to him. "I can't wait." Draco lightly placed his lips against hers.

She closed her eyes and softly kissed him back. Shivers ran up her spine from the feel of his lip against hers. Reluctantly Jess pulled away and went to the door. "Until then, see ya." She quickly made it out the door and down the hall, her steps forced the entire time, when she wanted to just go back.

This is how it continued for the next few weeks. Both of them only being sustained between meetings that in a few days they would have another. It became their lifeline, their escape from the oncoming doom and gloom of the war. The pair would briefly see each other during classes, though at those times they could not make their affections known. This became their routine that they liked for, they became close throughout the weeks, meeting one or twice a week, depending on their schedules.

The first weekend in February was a fun one for everyone, it was a Hogsmeade weekend. Draco and Jess had decided on their last meeting that meeting up in Hogsmeade wasn't a good idea. No matter how many excuses they could come up with none would sound in the least bit plausible, even the truth seemed far-fetched. Jess decided to pal around with Rachel, Ginny, Hermione, Harry and Ron. The six wandered the streets of Hogsmeade without a care in the world. That is until Ginny remembered something. She stopped moving which in turn Rachel ran into her.

Jess turned around to see her on the ground and helped her up before addressing Ginny. "Something wrong Gin?"

"I forgot next weekend is Valentines day! I need to get Dean something, Jess will you help me out?" The ed asked.

"Sure." She smiled, "what were you thinking?"

"I don't know!" Ginny confessed looking a bit frazzled. "This is out first Valentine's day and we've been going out for over six months! It's a big deal Jess."

"Hmm," Jess pondered for a moment. "I think we might need Hermione and Rachel's help as well. What do you say s?" The two s nodded in response as they joined her at her side.

Harry and Ron blinked, not seeing the big deal of the holiday since neither of them had friends at the moment. You could plainly tell that they didn't want to be dragged around shopping, especially Ron. "We're just going to head to the Quidditch store then." Harry replied as both boys began heading in that direction.

The s simply laughed and started their quest. By noon they had to have gone through half a dozen shops, nothing was catching Ginny's eye, nor Jess' for that matter, for she also was looking for something, for her own boyfriend. Now that she thought of it, Draco had to be one of the hardest people to shop for. He had so much money that he probably owned everything that he could possibly want. Jess would have to be creative if she wanted to find him a gift.

Draco on the other hand was also having the same problem. Sure he could drop a ton of money and get anything he thought she wanted, but Jess was one of those s that would claim he spent too much on her. So he was back to square one, with a frustrated sigh he continued to look. Simple would be best, he thought since the two hadn't been together for long. Actually on Valentine's day they would have been together for a little over a month. Maybe he could combine the two celebrations and get something more expensive. At the same time he didn't want to show her up and end up hurting her feelings. Why buying her gifts was so difficult Draco had no idea. It had been much easier buying her that necklace for her birthday. Probably because she wasn't expecting it, though she could have refused it, and she would have if he hadn't been so insistent. After looking around a while longer Draco finally decided on something, hoping it was enough.

Not long before the students had to go back to Hogwarts did Ginny find the perfect gift for Dean. After it was wrapped and packaged the s headed over to the Quidditch shop to snag the boys. Jess still didn't have anything for Draco, confirming the fact that he was impossible to buy for. All four of them entered the Quidditch shop and Jess finally saw what she was looking for. A brand new edition of the much acclaimed Quidditch book and manual. It was half manual and half book, applying interesting facts as well as biographies and stats on all the Quidditch teams around the world. As she picked up and skimmed the book there were there were twenty new bonus pages compared to the now outdated edition. Jess walked up to the counter and paid for the book, if this book didn't scream perfect gift for Draco, she didn't know what did.

Hermione walked up behind her and noticed the book. "Who's that for?" She asked curiously.

"This?" Jess responded as casually as she could. "Oh, this is for me. Just a bit of light reading."

"I didn't know you were particularly fond of Quidditch."

"Well, I just don't go blabbing on about it like Ron does that's all. I think the game itself is very interesting. I wish I was actually decent at it. Since Harry got me my Nimbus I could practice, though I've hardly had any time to ever ride my broom, perhaps in the summer when I have nothing to do." Jess sounded convincing enough so Hermione dropped it. The group then got ready and got on the carriages back to school. Jess snuck the Thestral a bit of chicken from her lunch and the Thestral seemed delighted and wanted more when Harry pulled her away before it got too pushy.

The week went by rather smoothly with Jess and Draco meeting on Wednesday night. It had been long over due and they enjoyed the time alone together. Between classes and homework, as well as friends, they were extremely busy, not to mention the fact that Draco was captain of the Slytherin Quidditch team. They had one last match before the playoffs where they hoped to win the Quidditch house cup. Before Harry Potter the Slytherins had, had a long streak of winning the house cup, they hadn't been beaten since Charlie Weasely had been on the Gryffindor Quidditch team, that had been a while ago.

Friday rolled around and that meant that Valentine's day was around the corner. It also meant that today was Friday the thirteenth. Some students were actually superstitious and had on them a lucky rabbits foot. Most people weren't phased by this at all and continued their day as they normally would.

The first class of the day was Care for Magical Creatures. Hagrid was whistling a happy tune as he walked in front of his hut where the students met for Class. "I got a real treat for yeh today. Follow me now.." Hagrid turned toward the forest with big booming steps.

"When he has a 'treat' for us that usually doesn't end well." Harry groaned, not wanting to have to have Hagrid go through the experience of putting another beast to , even though they had been able to go back in time and save him. Harry just hoped that Malfoy wasn't a real git today.

Draco actually wasn't much like his normal self today. He seemed antsy as he fidgeted slightly. When they arrived in the forest he positioned himself so that he would ally brush up against Jess. When she walked by he coyly slid his hand in hers and just as quickly slid it out, leaving the small piece of parchment in her hand.

Jess noticed someone touching her hand and held back her smile when she noticed it was Draco. Only when she was a few feet away from him did she look down into her hand. A small peiece of parchment as on her palm and see quickly opened it.

_Jess, _

_I was hoping we could meet tomorrow at seven._

_Sincerely,_

_D.M._

She looked over at Draco, who was patiently looking at her waiting for her answer. With a nod and a smile, Jess confirmed their date. With an accomplished smirk Draco turned back to the big oaf of a professor.

"Now I need all of yeh to be on yer best behaviors. He's 'armless but lets be safe." Hagrid had them all in the large clearing he had third year when he introduced them to Buckbeak. Harry had a bad feeling about this. Hagrid then disappeared and brought back with him a huge looking rhino creature. "Ain't he beautiful?" Hagrid commented with a large grin on his face. "Can anyone tell me what he is?"

A bunch of students looked confused, thinking it was a rhino but not daring to say anything. Instead most people adverted their eyes and a few began searching in their books. Jess rose her hand after locating a creature similar in the book. "Is he an Erumpent?"

"Very good Jess!" Hagrid simply beamed. "Take ten point fer Gryffindor. Now can anyone else tell me where he's from?"

Hermione's hand shot up at once. "The Erumpent's natural habitat is in Africa."

"Very good, take another ten points." Hagrid held onto the thick metal chain on the Erumpent. "Now this one here is a baby. In another ten months he'll be full grown. Many of yeh looked like yeh thought he might ht a rhino. He's not he does look a lot alike. As I said he's pretty 'armless, but don't tey to set him off. These guys are pretty hard ter control when they're mad, even this guy 'ere."

The Erumpent stood remotely still except for the swishing of his short ropelike tail. He had an enormous horn on his head that looked like it could kill anything that crossed its path. The Erumpent looked pretty content as he stood there and Hagrid talked.

"Now I want yeh to pay attention ter her horn. It can pierce through everything known to us wizards and es. What makes it more dangerous is in it has a liquid inside the horn. If yeh get injected with it yeh explode. Now there's not a lot of these guys around since the males explode one another in mating season."

The class looked quite alarmed by that. Even an Erumpent itself would explode if it was pierced by a horn. It made these creatures sound homicidal during mating season.

"Are there any questions?" Hagrid looked around and saw no hands raised. "Good, now if yeh like yeh can pet him."

No one dared to come up at first. It took a couple minutes until Harry approached the Erumpent. This was starting to look more and more like third year and it made Harry a bit more anxious. After another minute Jess came forward and pet the Erumpent as well, which Harry looked relieved. Soon after Jess and Harry, all of the students got over their initial fright and began to pet the Erumpent. Draco gave the Erumpent a pat on the head which it didn't seem to mind. Hagrid was pleased that everything was going so well. That is until Crabbe and Goyle came up to pet the Erumpent. Instead of petting the Erumpent nicely, they decided jabbing their fingers in its side was the fun thing to do. The Erumpent began to fidget and become restless. Soon it was moving its head from side to side. Low grunts emitted from the beast as Hagrid ran forward. "Easy there." He looked over to see Crabbe and Goyle ticking it off. "Crabbe! Goyle! Stop that right now!" Bu they didn't listen of course and the Erumpent got ready to charge. Students wan out of the way and Hagrid lost his grip on the chain as the Erumpent ran forward. The Erumpent clammed into a tree. Its horn heavily embedded into the trunk of the tree. "Take cover!" Hagrid howled as the erumpent pulled away and ran into the deeper parts of the forest. The tree began to grow lighter in coloe as well as fatter around the middle. There was no way the students could get a safe distance away before it exploded. With an ear deafening bang the tree exploded and bits and pieces of it flew every direction. The students ducked for cover.

Draco flung himself to the ground, falling on top of Jess, shielding her away from the debris. The students stayed low to the ground for a couple minutes. The first to stand were Crabbe and Goyle who were laughing at what had just happened. Hagrid stood, enraged at their idiotic behavior and yelled at them docking fifty points each from Slytherin.

Jess looked up to see Draco's light blue eyes looking down at her. "Are you alright/" He asked, looking concerned.

"I'm alright, you?" She asked him back.

"Fine, I ducked in the nick of time." He softly touched her cheek with his left pointer finger. "I'm glad you're alright." He then pulled his hand away from her face. "I'm going to have to kill those two later."

Jess laughed, "It's quite a bit like what you did third year in this class."

He scowled, "Nothing of the sort. That y chicken was a menace!"

"You made him that way, Draco."

"Did not, that thing has a disposition to be ed at the world in the first place."

"Hey Draco?"

"Yeah?"

"Can you please get off me? You're kind of heavy."

"Oh." Draco rolled off and then stood up and brushed off his robes. He didn't help Jess up, and went back to the castle, assuming class was over.

Jess stood up seconds later. She was glad he resisted the urge to help her up. That wouldn't have been easy to explain to anyone.

Harry and Ron had made a duel effort to make sure that Hermione was safe. From their spots on the ground they frantically worried and hoped Jess was okay. Harry was the first one to notice that she had been covered by Malfoy. Ron noticed as well and both he and Harry grounded their teeth in his disapproval. They only caught the tail end of Jess and Draco's conversation and soon he was rolling off her and walking away. Leaving Jess on the ground, that was 'typical' Malfoy. They quickly got up. Harry helped up Hrmione and the three walked over to Jess.

"Jess! Are you alright?" Hermione asked quickly.

"I'm fine Hermione; are you alright?"

"Yes I'm fine. Harry and Ron luckily were there for me."

Jess smiled warmly at the three. She knew if she would have been closer to them, they would have protected her as well. Harry then spoke up. "What was Malfoy doing?"

She looked at him in confusion. "I don't know what you mean."

"Malfoy would gladly see you , Jess. Why did he protect you? That's not like him at all."

She thought for a moment. "I don't know Harry. Maybe he wants to kill me himself."

"Maybe, we'll need to keep a closer eye on him. That was just too weird. I don't trust him."

This was the very reason Jess couldn't tell any of them about her and Draco. One they wouldn't believe her and claim that Draco brainwashed her, and two they would severely injure Draco. She nodded quietly, deep in her own thoughts. The four went back up to the castle. By lunch time almost everyone had heard about what happened in their Care for Magical Creatures class. Hagrid was more angry than any of the students had seen him and it was scary. They made sure to stay out of the usually cheerful professor's way.

History of Magic was a bore as always. Ever since Ron had gotten his 'P' in the class he fought off the sleep for an average of seven minutes. He always ended up asleep before the half-way mark of the period, but he was improving.

Potions was back to normal. After the whole Lockhart incident, Snape had a weekend to recover. He was back to his normal self come Monday morning, though mentioning Lockhart was probably a bad idea.

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Well there is chapter 58! Oh come on I know you ALL liked the fluff. And the Erumpent... Hahaha, that was made possible from Newt Scamander's Fantastic Beasts and Where to Find Them. Its another little mini book that J.K. Rowling wrote that I'm sure all of you have read. If you haven't it comes with a Quidditch book, which I have, but haven't gotten around to reading the entire thing yet... Hopefully this chapter has brightened your day! I'm not sure when the next update will be but hopefully the three back to back chapter updates will keep you all satisfied for now. UNtil next chapter!


	59. Valentine's Day

I will be the first one to say that it has been too long since I have updated. With summer, I thought I would have more time to update. While I have had 'some' more time I guess I've been doing other things with it. Still working quite a bit. Bah, oh well, not more much longer. :) So I have a very strong feeling that everyone will love this chapter. Lots of fluff ensues. Yay fluff! ^^ Anyways I apologize for the wait and I sincerely hope it doens't take me this long next time -_- I do not own Harry Potter!

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Saturday morning was bright and sunny as Jess rolled out of bed. She shrugged on a pair of blue jeans and a red long sleeve shirt, to be in spirit because of the holiday. She looked at herself in the mirror and smiled warmly. Her hair fell perfectly alone the side of her face. "I wonder what Draco has planned for tonight." She shrugged and went downstairs for breakfast. Within the half hour most of the student body was inside the Great Hall. Among the girls they wore many shades of pink and red, looks like Jess wasn't the only one in spirit of the holiday. She looked over to Draco who was wearing a deep green shirt; she hadn't expected him to wear something bright in the first place. Jess sat down next to Hermione who was wearing a shirt that was a light shade of pink.

"Good morning" Hermione cheerfully stated and handed her a valentine as well as Jess' beloved chocolate frog.

"Thanks 'Mione, Happy Valentines day." Jess dug out of her bag a Valentine for Hermione as well as some fizzing whizzbees.

T he bushy haired girl gave her a big smile and tucked her gift away in a safe place. "Are you coming with us to Hogsmeade today?"

She thought about it for a moment. Hogsmeade was a lot of fun, but at the same time it would be insanely busy and the students would be sickenly clingy to their Valentine. It was sad that people would be a couple for this one day just so they weren't left out on the festivities. It bothered her that the students put no actual meaning behind the holiday, they just didn't want to be alone, when she wouldn't even be in public with her boyfriend, embracing the holiday of true love. Jess shrugged. "Sure why not, I would always do with getting outside."

And so about twenty minutes later Jess, Hermione, Harry, and Ron were in a carriage towards Hogsmeade. The ride there was eerily quiet as everyone was reflecting on the meaning of the day. Jess became frustrated. "This holiday sucks."

Everyone else in the carriage looked at her in curiosity. "Why do you say that?" Hermione asked, her head slightly tilted to the left.

"It just pressures people to give each other gifts and profess their love one day out of the year. What kind of message is that? So after today we can treat people like crap again? It's just stupid, pointless, and fickle. Shows how society had gone completely down the toilet that we need to assign one day out of the year to act decent and to respect one another." Jess looked at each of them with a shrug as if what she said wasn't profound in the least bit.

Her friend looked at her in shock, especially Ron and Harry. They were under the impression that all girls loved this holiday, obviously they were mistaken. After a moment of silence Hermione spoke up. "You're right, Jess. It is pointless."

Ron shook his head in disbelief as the carriage stopped, signaling their arrival at Hogsmeade. "Just because you two didn't get a date doesn't mean you can act like a couple of scrooges." He sounded a bit bitter, he hadn't found a date either, but was hoping he could pick one up by the end of the day.

Jess stood up and made her way to the door while laughing. "Oh that's rich, Ron. Have you looked in the mirror lately? You're the one who can't be single so you dumb down your standard and date a complete moron; but as they say, similar people are attracted to one another." She gave him a victorious smirk and hopped out of the carriage.

Ron sat there flabbergasted, she had just completely dissed him and with little effort. The tops of his ears grew red as he stood intent on finding Jess and winning the argument. Harry and Hermione chased after him as he ran down the street. Ron's delayed reaction had given Jess the necessary time to slip away unnoticed in an alleyway.

She spent the rest of her time in Hogsmeade avoiding her friends, not wanting to deal with Ron. He was impossible sometimes, not to mention very rude. She'd have more fun being by herself then arguing with him, she always won their pointless arguments. Jess walked around unnoticed for hours. Just as she had predicted the streets were littered with 'couples'. Dozens of couples walked hand in hand feeling included in the festivities. Some of these make shift couples were too open with their new found love and were snogging on benches in plain view. Jess had the urge to be the PDA police and pull them apart, her project she had done in the beginning of the year now seemed futile. Sighing, she went to go up to the Shrieking Shack, maybe there she would get some solitude.

Upon arriving Jess was mistaken, and there was a gaggle of sixth year Gryffindor's hanging around the barbed wire fence. She rolled her eyes about to turn around and go somewhere else when a hand waved her over.

"Hey Jess! Come on over!" Called Seamus Finnegan who had with him Lavender Brown, Neville Longbottom, Parvati Patil, and a seventh years Cormac McLaggen.

She reluctantly walked over. "What are you guys doing?"

"Daring each other to go into the Shrieking Shack." Cormac replied proudly. "I'm thinking about going in."

"Don't do it Cormac!" Lavender had her arm looped in his. Apparently she was his Valentine. _What a flirt_, Jess thought to herself.

"I don't know what awaits me in the there but I'll make it out alive." He boasted, his chest slightly puffed out.

"Oh please." Jess rolled her eyes.

Cormac looked over at her, his eyes shining at the beauty before him. His arm dropped, freeing it from Lavenders and he walked over to her. "Pretty daring isn't?"

Lavender was beyond angry and sidled up to Seamus instead, trying to make Cormac jealous. Of course she didn't succeed, since he didn't even look at her. His gaze was fixed on Jess.

"Hardly, I've gone in there before, nothing scary about it." Jess replied calmly.

Cormac couldn't help but laugh. "A girl going into the Shrieking Shack" I don't believe it."

"Watch me then." She said through gritted teeth. Jess briskly walked through the gate and up to the door. The others followed at a safe distance. Jess casually opened the door and went in, the door closing behind her.

"She did it!" Shrieked Lavender as she held back onto Cormac now.

He straighten up, annoyed that a girl showed him up. "She's just crazy is all. Besides it's just a stupid shack." He walked back out of the gate. "Let's go somewhere else." Cormac suggested shortly, the others followed him as though he was their fearless leader.

Finally Jess was alone. She sat down in one of the dust ridden chairs. After a couple minutes she realized this wasn't what she wanted. She didn't want to be alone; she wanted to be with Draco. A sadness came over her that made her stand up and go through the tunnel back to Hogwarts. Her arm reached out and touched the knot on the trunk of the tree before it beat her into a fine powder. Once the tree was limp Jess quickly climbed out of the tunnel and ran back inside the castle and up to the Gryffindor common room. The remainder of the afternoon she spent inside her room, itching for seven o'clock to roll around.

At around six-thirty Jess headed down to the kitchens. She decided she still didn't want to deal with Ron so she avoided the Great Hall. The House Elves were ecstatic to see her and dropped everything to accommodate her. After much persuasion on her part Jess convinced them that she could get it herself. She ate quickly and noticed it was ten to seven. "Finally." She mumbled to herself as she left. Jess literally ran down the hall and up the moving staircases until she was on the seventh floor. Draco's gift was tucked underneath her arm ad she slowly approached the stretch of hallway that the Room of Requirement was located.

Draco looked up and noticed her. A grin appeared on his face as he closed the distance between them and captured her hand in his. "Ready?"

Jess nodded, "more than you'll ever know."

He smirked and pulled the door open and led Jess inside. The room was cozy and warm like it always was when she and Draco inhabited it. A small tabled with two chairs was the only addition to the room Jess could see. On the table was a dozen red roses and Draco led her over to one of the chairs beside the table. Just at the right moment he pulled out her chair for her and once she was in it he pushed it back in before sitting across from her. "These are for you." Draco commented as he motioned to the roses on the table.

"Draco they're gorgeous!" Jess beamed and carefully gathered the bundle in her hands and smelled each one of them, though one didn't smell. She pulled out the offending rose to discover it was fake. "I'm going to guess this was supposed to be there."

He nodded, picking up the fake rose and twirling it around in his hand. "So when the others die, you will still have this one as a reminder of them, one that will never die." The rose dropped on the table and Draco looked up into Jess' eyes.

Jess smiled, setting down the roses and sliding her hand over his. "You are beautiful; your very soul is breathtaking. Most guys our age can't think how you did in preparing this gift for me."

Draco gave her s smile while placing his other hand on her cheek. "You're the one here that's beautiful. It's only because of you that was able to be that deep."

She laughed lightly. "I doubt that Draco."

"I mean it, because of you I've been able to embrace the real me that's been hidden for so long, and I will be forever in your debt because of it."

"So that's what this is? You're just repaying me for a good deed?" Her hand slid off of his and inched back to her lap.

Draco caught her retreating hand in both of his. "Don't be ridiculous. All of this has happened because I love you, not because I'm trying to pay you back."

Jess smiled and looked down at her hand encompassed in his. "Don't get overly mushy on me Draco. I don't want to be the male role in this relationship."

He rolled his eyes incredulously. "I thought you girls wanted us to express our feelings to some degree?"

She couldn't help but laugh. "You're right, I'm just giving you crap." Jess smiled at him. "I know that you're very manly. This burst of emotion must make you want to explode from lack of use over the years."

He chuckled. "I'm not as cold hearted as you think, and I know how to impress girls."

"You are quite the ladies man. They always seem to flock and fawn over you when they get the chance. If they knew you showed emotion once in a while they'd be even more in love with you."

Draco smirked, "I don't care about them though. I only care about you."

Jess smiled, "You're one in a million Draco, and I plan to keep a strong hold on you."

"I think it's the other way around. I've noticed all the heads you turn without trying. If I have to though, I'll make sure they're kept in line."

"That will expose us Draco."

"I don't care if that means they'll stop bothering you."

Jess lightly placed her other hand on top of his. "Guys usually don't bother me. They have to get though Ron and Harry first, which is easier said than done. Most people respect Harry and don't try to hit on his friend.

"Except me who knows he isn't a saint that needs to be revered."

Jess rolled her eyes. "No one ever said he was a saint except you."

"He's treated like one. All hail the mighty Potter who can do no wrong!" Draco shouted in a mock praise voice.

"You're a dork, you know that?" She looked at him oddly.

"But that's why you love me."

"One of the many reasons, yes."

"Many reason? Do tell." He reclined in the chair waiting for the praise.

"Don't be so full or yourself.' She replied matter-of-factly.

Draco sat back straight in his chair. "Fine then, I'd do the same for you if you asked."

"Sure you would." She looked at him pointedly.

"You're beautiful, smart, pretty, and still hold no judgment of me after all these years, that is what I love about you." He ticked off each one on a finger lazily. "There's more if you'd like to hear them."

Jess blinked, her cheeks flushed and grew warm. But that wasn't the only part of her that grew warm; her heart did as well while swelling with joy "I love you because you show your true self even when it endangers your life. I love you because even though everyone else would scorn you being around me, you do it anyways."

He nodded, "That's all?"

"Am I forgetting something?"

Draco rolled his eyes dramatically. "Just look at me and you'll see what you failed to mention."

Jess looked at him, as always he was unbelievably attractive. "Oh right, you're the hottest person I've ever met."

He smirked proudly. "You'll never meet anyone that rivals me in looks."

She laughed lightly. "I don't think the earth could handle that without combusting due to the overload of hotness."

Draco shook his head. "I beg to differ. One could never overestimate your beauty, the world is lucky that your presence gives a calming effect, otherwise it surely would have exploded the day you were born."

Jess couldn't help but laugh once again. "You're too kind."

"I speak the truth."

"I thought the truth was supposed to hurt?"

"It does sometimes. For instance your immense hotness is something so overwhelming that if hurts."

She looked at him curiously. "Is that so?"

Draco simply nodded. "It did especially when you were with Wonder Boy. The prospect of not having a chance to be with you was sometimes hard to bear."

"Oh…" She didn't know what to say to that and instead changed the subject. "So, why are we at this table?"

"Oh that." Draco felt a little more relaxed about the topic change. He snapped his fingers with elegant authority, as if he fully expected someone would beckon to his simple demand. Dropping whatever they were in the process of doing to tend to his whim. After a minute a loud pop sounded. Jess blinked as she saw Dobby before them with two plates. He sat them down before them with a weak smile and vanished as soon as he had come.

After the initial shock of seeing Dobby, Jess looked at the plate set before her. It was the most decadent piece of chocolate cake she had ever seen. There looked to be three layers to the one slice of cake, chocolate frosting liberally applied and wedged in-between the layers. Shaved chocolate curls were delicately placed on the top as powdered sugar and a drizzle of chocolate sauce decorated the plate. In the middle of the chocolate curls laid a juicy red strawberry, mostly covered in a fine layer of chocolate. Basically, the slice of cake looked heavenly.

"Where did you get this?" Jess asked in amazement.

Draco's lips curled into a sexy smirk. "I knew a way to a girl is through chocolate."

"Oh how smart of you." Jess teasingly rolled her eyes. "But seriously, where did you get this? It looks amazing and to die for."'

"If you're going to die because of it I'm afraid you can't eat it." He said in a all knowing tone.

"Oh shut up. I'm going to eat it regardless."

"Very well."

"So, where did you get it?"

"I found the recipe and made the House Elves make it."

"Oh." Jess smiled, "Hermione would smack you."

"Granger doesn't need to know" Draco replied.

"True." She picked up her fork, ready to delve into the chocolate masterpiece. Before she was able to partake in the chocolately goodness her fork was taken away from her by Draco. "Hey! What was that for??" She pouted looking down at the gift from above sadly.

Draco chuckled and plunged the fork into her piece of cake while lifting up her chin with his other hand. "Allow me" he replied in a velvet soft voice.

Jess looked at him, her cheeks burning while emitting a pink glow. He couldn't have looked sexier if he tried. "O-Okay…" She stuttered, choking out the one word with extreme difficulty.

A small smirk crossed his face as he fed her the piece of cake. Once she had eaten the bite, his hand still remained under her chin. Draco noticed a bit of frosting on the edge of her lip and lightly swiped it away with his finger. He pulled back and sucked the frosting off his finger. "Delicious."

Jess grew even more beet red as she watched. "You like torturing me don't you?"

He leaned slightly over the table, cupping her cheek in his hand. "I can't help it that you're adorable when you blush." He replied just above a whisper.

"Adorable?"

He nodded, "Positively."

Jess smiled and looked away from Draco for a brief second. She noticed something different about the room. "The lights are dimmed."

"That they are." His hand was still softly securing her face.

His eyes were mesmerizing as Jess found herself meeting up with him half way across the table. Their lips met and their eyes closed, relishing in the moment. After half a minute Draco pulled away to gaze at her infinite beauty. In his eyes she literally glowed, filling the room with an immeasurable sense of warmth. He lightly ran a finger down her cheek. "Did I mention happy Valentines Day?" Draco asked, breaking the silence.

"I honestly don't remember" Jess murmured in response. All thought of consuming the cake were now gone. She looked down briefly to notice the table that was obstructing them from being closer. "Draco?"

He looked at her; his eyes never looking away. "Yes?"

"Let's move, these chairs are a bit stiff."

"Alright." Without a moments delay Draco rose gracefully out of his seat and crossed over to her side of the table. He held out his hand to her.

Jess smiled brightly and slipped her warm hand into his. She then stood and Draco led her over to the couch. The two sat down right next to each other when she remembered something. "Oh!" Jess handed him the wrapped gift. "For you."

Draco took it and quickly opened it. A grin broke out on his face when he saw the new edition of the Quidditch book. "How did you know?"

"Lucky guess." She shrugged.

"Thank you."

"Happy Valentines day Draco" Jess placed another light kiss on his lips.

He wasn't going to let it end there, not tonight. Draco smoothly slid his arms around her waist, pulling her closer. He breathed in her exotic scent, never wanting to forget it. Jess slid her arms behind his neck as the two continued to kiss. Annoyed with the position Draco picked her up with ease and placed her on his lap. "Much better" he murmured before continuing to kiss her once more.

Jess smiled into his lips, them melding into one as they kissed harder and longer than they ever had before. One of Draco's hands instinctively found one of their favorite places to be, her gorgeous curtain of hair. It felt like rich silk running across his palm and fingertips. Never had he felt something so soft.

Jess also found Draco's hair to be a favorite place for her hands. His hair was so fluffy, and alluring. The color was unique but it was also what made her love it all the more. Her hand became tangled in it as she pulled his face closer.

Draco pulled away slightly, gazing into her emerald eyes. He then went for a new target, the soft skin at the base of her neck. His hot breath tickled teasingly before he planted a light kiss there.

In response Jess' cheeks grew a deeper red as she let out a small gasp. "Draco!"

He looked up, not really wanting to. "What?" He asked casually.

"Nothing…" She had never felt that before and it was delightful.

He simply grinned and placed another kiss on her neck. Everything about her was beautiful, it was insane, unbelievable, and he loved it. Never before could he grasped that something could be this perfect, this heavenly.

Jess lazily traced the palm of his hand that she had freed from her waist. The other was firmly planted there, not willing to budge an inch. She brought his hand up to her cheek and held it there, loving the feeling of the warmth it gave her. She slowly moved it over to her lips and kissed each and every finger tip.

Draco felt her lips against his fingers and stopped what he was doing. There was something softer than her hair, her lips. His hand came back up from its placed at her neck and claimed her rose petal soft lips with his.

Jess let his hand drop back to her side and re-wrapped her arms around his neck, kissing him back. She was the first one to pull away, smiling widely. "Draco, I love you more than you'll ever know."

Draco wisped a piece of her hair away from her face. "I feel the same was Jess."He held her hands in his. "Did I do a good job with tonight?"

"You did an excellent job. I wish I could take the cake with me though."

"I'll make sure the rest of it is kept in the kitchen."

"That would be a great idea!'

Draco grinned at her enthusiasm, when the big clock began to chime. He didn't pay it any attention. Unfortunately for him, Jess did.

She quickly got up and grabbed her roses. "Filch is starting rounds, we got to go."

Draco lazily stood up and sauntered over. "It's not that big of a deal Jess. I've been caught out after hours before."

"Yeah I heard, you ratted on Harry and Hermione and got a one way ticket to the Forbidden Forest."

He nodded remembering back, man he had hated that place. He had been forced in there in his first year with Potter and Granger. It wasn't a lovely experience. "When will I see you next?"

"Some time during the week. I'll let you know by owl."

Draco nodded and placed one last kiss on her cheek. "I'll be looking forward to it."

Jess smiled, "thank you again for the wonderful time." She waved and made a quick dash at the door, wanting to make sure she got in the common room before eleven when the Fat Lady didn't let people in anymore until morning. Only in extremely rare circumstances would she let someone in after her curfew and being out with a boy wasn't going to fly. Jess got there with plenty of time to spare.

The Fat Lady looked down at her and noticed the roses. "Nice roses dear, who are they from? A boy?"

Jess nodded, not wanting to explain herself to the portrait. "Dilligrout." She replied with the password.

"Ooh, so is that where you have been?" The Fat Lady didn't pay much attention to the mention of the password.

"Yes, now dilligrout."

"Is he a handsome boy?"

"As hot as they come now please, Dilligrout." Jess replied with persistence.

"Oh fine." The Fat Lady rolled her eyes and let her in."

"Thank you." Jess stepped in and noticed people staring at her. _The roses_, she thought as she walked by the fireplace to see her friends there.

Ron was playing Harry in a exciting game of Wizard's Chess. He of course was winning, Harry was still very much in the game though. Hermione and Ginny were talking. Ginny looked up and noticed Jess. "Jess!" She said with a smile. "Whoa, where did those come from?" Obviously, she had noticed the roses as well.

"Oh these, I just got them from someone." She replied evasively.

"From a boy?" Ginny pressed.

"Yes Gin, from a boy."

"Who?!" She asked at once.

"Not telling." Jess replied while sitting down next to Hermione.

"So that's where you've been. I was wondering where you went off to." Hermione said with a genuine interest."

Ron looked up from his game. "So you did get a date after all then."

Jess glared at him. "I have a boyfriend." She retorted icily.

The four looked at her in shock. "What?! What long has this been going on?!" Ginny demanded with rapt interest.

"About a month actually."

"A month? Who is it?!"

"He's a Ravenclaw, we don't want to go public yet so we've been meeting up in the Room of Requirement."

Ginny simply beamed. "We should go on a double date sometime."

"I'll ask him about it sometime." Jess refrained from laughing. She already knew Draco would refuse.

"Okay!" Ginny smiled and noticed the fake rose. "This one's fake."

"I know, so when the others have died, I can look back and know that the love behind them lives on."

"Wow, that's deep for a guy."

"Ravenclaw." Jess stated as if that explained it.

Ginny nodded, "I'm happy for you Jess."

Jess smiled at her. "Yeah I am too." She was more than happy, she was thrilled. Jess was beyond ecstatic, overjoyed and content. She loved Draco and he loved her, could it be any more perfect?

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Well there we have it! Chapter 59 everyone! Next chapter should be quite interesting... Thank you all again for reading and reviewing! I'll see you in Chapter 60! My gosh, chapter 60 already. Wow.. Toodles!


	60. The Ides of March

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Well I must say I didn't expect to put another one up this soon. I guess I felt bad about the long wait so I put up this one as well. Thank you all again for reviewing. I know the other one has only been up for a day, and Im betting that there will be more reviews on that one as well. For now I think that is all I really have to say, except enjoy this chapter! I do not own HP.

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The next month went by in a harmonious bliss. Ginny interrogated Jess periodically about her mysterious 'Ravenclaw' but never got it out of her. She and Draco continued to meet during the week, usually twice to enjoy a few hours together, not having to worry about everything around them. The Room of Requirement was their private sanctuary away from the cares and worries of the world. They had successfully kept their forbidden relationship under wraps, a feat that neither thought was possible.

Snape continued to keep a watchful eye on the pair. As Dumbledore had pointed out to him; it was now obvious that they were together. A feeling crawled into the pit of his stomach that he tried with all his might to fight back down. He would have to talk with Draco about this as well as the task he was assigned. This is what brought Snape to stand outside of the Room of Requirement Friday night. He had intercepted their owls and figured out their next meeting and waited patiently.

The soft creaking of the door signaled the pair's departure. Jess and Draco walked out their eyes only on each other just as Snape stepped into view. "Mr. Malfoy" Snape said calmly, causing Draco and Jess to jump.

Draco looked over and paled when he noticed it was his head of house. "Professor, what are you doing here?" He asked casually as if this wasn't uncommon.

"Mr. Malfoy I need to speak with you in my office." He looked over to Jess. "You may leave Miss. Anderson."

She looked up at Draco, worry etched on her face. Draco gave her hand a squeeze. "Don't worry about me." Hess nodded slowly and made her way down the hall. Once she was gone Draco turned back to Snape. "You wanted to talk to me?"

"Yes, in my office." He turned at once and headed down the hall. Draco grudgingly followed suit. They made their way all the way down to the dungeons, where Snape's office was. He opened the ancient heavy door and issued Draco in without a word. Draco obeyed and sat in a chair, facing the professor's desk. Snape followed closely behind him and sat at his desk.

"Sir, what did you need to talk to me about?" Draco tried to remain calm, but he had caught him and Jess together. Surely, Snape was one of the people that felt strongly against the match. His hand clutched onto the armrest of his chair tightly. His knuckles were turning white due to the death grip he had.

"I need to talk to you about two things Draco. Both of them are very important."

Two things? What could the other thing be? He didn't know about… Did he? Draco merely nodded, encouraging, the professor to continue.

He placed his hands softly on the desk, looking up at Draco. "Neither of them are easy matters. You have found yourself in a very sticky situation I am afraid. I must ask, where does you allegiance lie?"

Draco delayed speaking. He knew the answer but took time to mull it over in his head as to how he would explain betraying all that he had ever known. "Dumbledore's sir."

Snape nodded slowly. "Are you sure that is what you want for yourself? This is your decision, not someone else's for you." He made it clear that he knew Jess had influenced his choice.

"Yes, sir. This is the side I have chosen for myself." He looked at Snape carefully, wondering what he would say to that."

"I see, if you are sure?"

"I am sir."

Snape nodded once more. "Then I'm safe to assume you do not want to carry out the task the Dark Lord has given you."

"No sir, I do not. But do I have a choice in the matter? Either way someone will be killed."

"You make a strong point, but which one saves more lives?"

Draco looked at him with an arched eyebrow. "It depends on how you look at it."

Snape looked at him curiously. "Oh? How so?"

"Having Dumbledore die instead of me and my family is the intentional answer, but Dumbledore is the reason why many people are safe. If he's dead, they aren't protected." He instantly thought of Jess.

Snape reclined in his chair. "I did not think of it in that respect." He pondered that for a moment before continuing. "I will make sure everything is taken care of."

"What do you mean sir? This is my task; I have to do it." He looked at his head of house in confusion.

"Only time will determine how this plays out. In the meantime this is my suggestion to you. You need to continued to have people think you are on Voldemort's side. And no one absolutely no one can find out about you and Miss. Anderson."

Draco blinked in shock. "You mean you aren't going to insist I end things with her?"

"No Draco, the two of you complete the other. It is evident in how you act."

"Oh… But professor, how did you know about us?"

"I was informed by the Headmaster."

"Dumbledore knows??"

"Yes."

"Anyone else?"

"No, just the Headmaster and I."

"And he's not against it either?" Draco asked skeptically.

"No, he encourages it."

"Encourages it?"

"Yes, he was the one who convinced me to let the two of you continue being together."

Draco was at a loss for words. Dumbledore, encouraged it? He wanted him and Jess to be together? Had he heard Snape wrong? Or had the headmaster completely lost it? He merely nodded and stood from his chair. "Anything else sir?"

"Yes one more thing Draco."

He looked at him. "Yes?"

Snape sat back up and leaned partially on his desk. His elbows propped up on top of it. "Be careful, if you need anything, I am here."

His eyebrows furrowed in confusion. "Sir I don't think I understand."

"If you need anything, let me know."

"Alright." Draco nodded and then headed out the door. His head was spinning and his mind was swimming with thoughts. He'd have to tell Jess on Sunday when they went up to Hogsmeade.

Snape watched as the door clicked shut behind him. He sighed and stood, walking over to a shelf with bottles of potions on it. He grabbed one down and said to the air. "I have done all I can."

Sunday morning couldn't have come any sooner to Jess. She was dressed and ready to go an hour before she needed to. Hermione questioned her behavior. "Why the rush, Jess?"

"I'm just excited is all." She replied while adjusting her hoodie.

"Are you meeting up with your boyfriend?"

A small smile surfaced on her lips. "Yeah."

Hermione smiled as well. "I'll keep the boys busy so they don't bother you."

"Thanks 'Mione."

"No problem."

Jess walked up to the Shrieking Shack by herself that bright March 15th morning. _Hmm, it's the Ides of March_, she mused as Draco came into view. He looked dashing in his casual wear. This time he sported a grey polo type sweatshirt and black dress pants. He had his cloak on as well as his house scarf snug around his neck. Jess' feet sloshed their way over due to the melting snow. "Hey" she said as a greeting as she approached.

Draco turned and grinned when he saw her. "Hey yourself." Without hesitation he clasped his hand in hers. "Ready?"

"Yeah, I'm ready." Jess smiled as they proceeded close to the Shrieking Shack. Draco had never been in it before so Jess suggested they changed that. He didn't seem to mind and the date was set.

Draco opened the door that was almost falling off its hinges. "Someone should fix that." He commented while walking in after her.

"Well, no one comes in here anymore." She added in the old houses defense.

"True, and it shows." He looked around in a mild disgust, the type of look that only extravagantly wealthy people gave.

Jess rolled her eyes. "This place wasn't meant to be a vacation home. Its purpose was a safe place for a teenager to transform into a werewolf and not harm anyone."

He scoffed, "I highly doubt it."

"Draco, I'm serious. This is where professor Lupin went during full moons when he was a student at Hogwarts."

He did a double take and looked at her. "What?"

"You heard me. This place as well as the Whomping Willow were brought into existence to accommodate Lupin."

"That's ridiculous, all that trouble for one student?" He didn't seem convinced.

"It's better than having students bit."

"I suppose so." He walked about the room, noticing all of the broken pieces of furniture and dust. Only two chairs in the room remained intact. He saw footprints in the thick layer of dust. "whose are those?"

Jess walked up beside him. "Mine and Ginny's from a couple months ago."

"That's slightly freakish."

"That's nothing; see the footprints on the stairs?" She pointed to them. Draco looked over and nodded. "Those are mine, Hermione's, Harry's, Ron's, professor Lupin's, Sirius', and Snape's from third year."

He looked a little shocked. "So our footsteps will be preserved for the next decade?"

Jess laughed, "Pretty much."

The pair walked around and finally settled on a loveseat they found in what was supposed to be the living room. There they talked and kissed for the next couple hours, enjoying their time alone.

Ron was being a pest as he whined about having nothing to so. "We've gone everywhere already!"

"We haven't gone to the bookstore." Hermione piped in.

Ron visibly cringed. "Yeah… Harry what should we do?"

Hermione huffed as Harry spoke. "We could go to the Shrieking Shack."

"Already did that."

"We didn't go inside."

"We haven't been in there since third year." Ron commented, thinking back to it. "I don't want a cockroach turning into Snape or something."

Harry couldn't help but laugh. "He's probably still in the castle 'grading papers'." Or handing out T's as he thought.

Ron still seemed apprehensive as Hermione spoke again. It sounds like a good idea to me. I'd like to look around."

He finally gave up the battle. "Alright let's go."

They stood right outside the door of the Shrieking Shack. Ron looked up at the tall building. "Let's go to Honeydukes" he offered.

Hermione rolled her eyes. "I'll go in first and let you know if anything is in there."

"Great idea 'Mione!" Ron grinned and waited outside with Harry.

Hermione slowly opened the door and walked in. She heard voices from another room and decided to investigate. No one came in here so it peaked her interest.

Draco laughed at what Jess had just said. He brushed his bangs out of his face and noticed she was pouting. "Sorry, but that was hilarious."

"No it wasn't." She remarked shortly.

He tilted her chin up and looked down at her. "I'll make it up to you." Draco placed his lips against hers in a kiss.

Jess trailed her arms up his neck and had them loosely set behind it. Draco's arms found their way around her slender waist. The kiss proceeded to lengthen as well as obtain more oomph behind it. He began sucking on her bottom lip and pulled away suddenly when he heard a sharp intake of breath, from the doorway.

Hermione had walked in and saw none other than Malfoy snogging with a girl. It took a couple seconds to register who it was. When she did her breath hitched in shock.

Jess turned around to see what has caused Draco to break away. "Hermione!" She shouted while standing up.

The bushy haired girl looked beyond confused as well as betrayed. "Jess… Why?"

"'Mione are you alright in there?" Harry's voice rang from outside.

This snapped Hermione's attention back to why she had come in the first place. "You need to get out of here, now."

Jess nodded as she grabbed Draco's hand and led him to the secret way out. "Thanks a million."

"We'll talk later." Hermione responded as she walked back to the front door.

Jess nodded, not knowing what else to say. She and Draco ran down the tunnel. Right before they emerged Jess held Draco back and reached out a hand, groping around for the knot on the tree. The spastic willow grew limp and idle as the pair walked out. Jess was slowly massaging her temples as she thought about her next conversation with Hermione. It wouldn't be a good one that's for sure. Draco sensed her uneasiness and wrapped an arm around her. "It'll be alright." He murmured into her hair while kissing the top of her head.

"I hope you're right Draco. I hope she can keep this between the two of us. If Harry and Ron find out…" She shuddered thinking of their most likely violent reactions. "I don't want to be subjected to that."

"And no sane person would. If it comes to that, I can be there with you." He really didn't want to associate with scarhead of the weasel but he would if it meant comforting Jess.

"No Draco its fine. I doubt Hermione will say anything to them until she has talked to me. She'll want to know everything before she makes her judgment." Jess sighed as the paior continued up to the castle. Draco's arm reluctantly dropped from around her side. After ten minutes Jess stopped at a fork in the hallway. She gave Draco a weak smile "I'll see you later." She placed a gentle kiss on his cheek and then resumed walking away from him.

Draco watched her, wishing that he could follow her back to the Gryffindor common room, but that would only make things worse. Once he couldn't see her anymore Draco walked towards the dungeons. When he got there he immediately headed up to his room, not wanting to deal with the mass of first and second years in the common room. His thoughts lingered on the scene at the Shrieking Shack, Hermione looked shocked, appalled and repulsed. He hoped that Jess would be alright, that she could handle the angry bookworm.

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We all knew this had to happen at some point. And I'm thinking that most of you thought Hermione would be the first one to know. Why you might ask as to why I chose her to find out? The answer is quite simple really, she would be the one to freak out less over the situation and keep her cool. I'm not saying that she wouldn't be confused or angry, but I think she'd handle it far better than Ron. Can you imagine if Ron found out (shudder) I really don't want to know! I also found it amusing that this would happen on the Ides of March. As if they should have known better before going into the Shrieking Shack. Well anyways I hope you all enjoyed this chapter! Until next chapter...


	61. Hermione and Horcruxes

I know I should have done this earlier. I really wanted to have an update on the day of the release, I however didn't. So today was the day. But, because I felt bad I made this one exceptionally longer. It was painful to type up in one sitting... As for my thoguhts on the movie, (I went to the midnight primere), I quite enjoyed it! I dressed up of course, Gryffindor all the way! To see me in some of my costume, I had a sorting hat, cloak, Nimbus, and wand as well, look at my profile. Though I didn't like the ending, and Harry and Ginny's first kiss wasn't correct. Besides that I totally loved the mass amounts of Draco. He was beyond sexy. My love for him has grown ten fold. Anyways, here is the chapter! I do not own Harry Potter!

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The hours flew by as Jess' impending doom neared. She tried to sleep, to get it off her mind but lay wide awake in her bed. Why had Hermione, Harry and Ron have to come along? In the last few years since the incident third year had they never had the impulse to go in there. But today of all days? Jess laughed as she recollected it was the Ides of March. _How ironic, just as long as no one is killed today_, she thought to herself. The next thing she tried was homework, but that didn't work either. She just sat there, staring at the same sentence over and over again.

"This isn't working." Jess commented while closing the book. "I'm just going to have to find her and get this over with." She stood and began to walk over to the door when it opened.

Hermione stood with the door wide open. She took one look at Jess before walking in and closing the door behind her. "We need to talk."

"I know we do." Jess settled onto the edge of her bed. "Look Hermione, it's not as bad as it seems."

"Seeing you, one of my best friends snogging with Malfoy isn't as bad as it sounds? You're right, it's worse than it sounds. Jess, just tell me what's going on." Hermione swiftly sat in a chair.

"I realized while I was dating Harry that I liked Draco. I thought it would never work out, know he would never return the feeling, but I was wrong. 'Mione he did, he returned back the feelings." She looked up at the bushy haired girl helplessly.

Hermione shook her head and stood. "It's a lie; all of it is just a lie."

"What do you mean? I like Draco."

Hermione walked over and sat by her. "He doesn't like you. This is all some plot to het to Harry to hurt him by hurting you."

"That's a lie, that and nothing else." Jess responded quickly.

"He's just blinded you with his looks and charms Jess, don't you see?" She grasped her shoulder lightly to comfort her.

"That's not true Hermione. Draco really does love me. I can see it in his eyes. He would never just pull me along under some false hope."

"Jess, this is all just a joke. He has you convinced it's the truth when it's far from it."

"Shut up already! He really does love me and you can't accept it! Admit it!" Jess shouted while standing up.

Hermione stood as well. "So you'd rather throw away all that you have in hopes that this is all true?! You'd betray your friends for a no good wanna be death eater?! He's going to kill you Jess! How can I stress that to you?"

"He'd never kill me! And I'm not throwing away all that I have. You of all people should understand! You should be the one that accepts it and helps me explain it to the others!"

"You should realize that he's just scum trying to pull you down with him!" Hermione shouted back all of her calm demeanor was gone. "Go throw your life away if you want! Get killed like a piece of meat that doesn't matter! Least of all to the one you love!"

Jess looked at her shocked. "I do love him, and you'll never understand it! You know why? Because you won't give him a chance. You'll never see the real Draco. You're just stuck in your old ways."

"Do you blame me after how he's treated us, you, all these years?! Jess just listen to me, I care about you and I won't watch you destroy yourself over some idiotic guy. He doesn't deserve you, and you know that he will never change. He might for a while, to fool you, but once he's pulled you in far enough where you can't pull back, he'll show you what he's really made of."

Jess at her with tears in her eyes. "You're wrong Hermione, and I'll prove it to you, no matter how long it takes me! One day you'll see that he's different." She slumped back onto her bed.

Hermione walked over to her and placed an arm around her. "This has hit you really hard hasn't it? You really love him don't you?"

Jess nodded as silent tears running down her cheeks. "I do, 'Mione and he loves me back."

"I just wish you'd see what he really is."

"I just wish you'd give him a chance." She snapped back.

Hermione sighed softly. "One chance, and if he fails you better get rid of him before he hurts you."

A small smile crossed over Jess' face. "Do you mean it?"

"Only because you like him so much. But Jess, I mean it, if he makes any mistake, big or small he's gone. And if you don't tell him to leave, I'll get Harry and Ron to do it."

She laughed lightly. "Alright, but you'll see just what I mean. Then you'll be jealous he's not available."

Hermione rolled her eyes in disbelief. "I can't believe you've convinced me to give him a chance."

"It's because you want me to be happy."

"I was so mad when I saw the two of you. I was surprised that I was able to keep it in and not tell ron and Harry. I think it was best that I didn't talk to you about it right away. Things would have been a lot worse, and I wouldn't have compromised. Maybe it was better this way."

Jess looked at her hands in her lap. "Maybe, I didn't want you to find out that way. I wanted to tell you sooner but I knew if I told you early on you would have made me end it. The longer I kept it from you the better I had a chance of keeping Draco. I know it was selfish, but at the same time it wasn't. I didn't want to just protect myself, but Draco as well. I don't think anyone else realizes it, but he's in danger. Every minute he spends with me, he puts himself more and more in danger of his father. Sure, he's in Azkaban now, because he almost killed his son over Christmas. And why was that? It was because of me."

The other Gryffindor blinked and looked at her, mouth agape. "What was that? He was almost killed by his own father?"

Jess slowly nodded. "By spending time with me, Draco's become an embarrassment to the whole family. Lucius was pissed and took matters into his own hands. You should see the scar Draco had on his side, it's not pretty."

"Jess, why are you telling me all of this?"

"Because I want to help him. I don't want him to ever be put in that situation again. It's not fair, Hermione! He can't even feel safe in his own home. No one deserves that, especially Draco."

"I…" Hermione looked over at her. "I don't know what to say."

"He was tortured." Jess choked out.

"What?"

"Lucius used the torture curse on him. Cruciatus, an unforgiveable on his own son because he talked to a girl he didn't like. What kind of reasoning is that? He could have easily killed Draco! And he probably would have gotten away with it, because half of the wizarding community is scared of the Malfoy's."

Hermione nodded, "But then how is he in Azkaban now? If he could getaway with murder, then how is he in their after abusing him?"

"Draco's mom ratted him out. She couldn't stand by and watch her only child get the crap kicked out of him every time Lucius' temper flared."

She nodded, thinking it all through. "Jess, are you sure this all happened?"

"I'm positive Hermione. I shouldn't have told you half of what I just did, but I did so you would believe me."

"I honestly don't know what to think. The entire time we've known Malfoy we've been his enemy. He's hated us and we've hated him. But now all of a sudden that's supposed to change? We're just supposed to forget everything that he's done to us, all of the negative words that have crossed between us. There's been so much animosity between us for five and a half years. It might be too late to reverse that."

Jess pondered for a moment before speaking. "That's not true, Hermione. In times like these, everyone's cards are shown and the true colors come out, so at least one person sees them. I was that person, and I'll try my hardest so that you see it too. There's still hope 'Mione, as long as we believe there's some left for us to grasp."

"That sounds like something Dumbledore would say."

"Dumbledore is a wise man."

Hermione nodded as a small smile crept up on her face. "We better get some rest though; I have a feeling that this is only going to get harder before it gets better."

"Hermione?"

"Yeah Jess?"

"Please promise me something."

"I won't tell Harry or Ron, not yet anyways."

Jess simply beamed and hugged Hermione tightly. "Thank you, that means the world to me."

Hermione smiled once more before getting up and walking to her own bed. "We can talk more about how we're going to pull this off in the morning."

Jess nodded and slipped into her pajamas before crawling into bed. _Hermione knows, but now we have one more person to help us. We're not alone in this anymore, and for that I'm grateful. Hermione would never betray me, _were Jess' last thoughts before she feel into a deep slumber.

Meanwhile the elderly headmaster sat at his desk. His head was propped up by his two hands that were clasped together. He looked over to the beautiful scarlet and gold bird on its perch. "I think it's time I had another meeting with Harry, Fawkes." Dumbledore stood and stroked the Phoenix's head lightly. "Yes, I think now is the perfect time. Hopefully it's not too late."

The next morning at breakfast Hedwig plopped down in the front of Harry. She unruffled her white feathers and held out her leg. Harry noticed the letter and carefully took it off the owl's leg. This had gotten Jess, Hermione and Ron's attention. Hedwig grabbed up a small piece of toast in her beak before flying off. Harry quickly opened the letter and began reading. To the others it seemed like ages before he finished. "It's from Dumbledore." He finally announced.

"Another meeting?" Hermione whispered hopefully.

He nodded, "He wants to meet up with me on Thursday after dinner."

"This might be the final piece to the puzzle!" Hermione exclaimed a little too loudly.

Jess softly clasped a hand over her mouth. "Maybe, just tell us what happens at the meeting Harry."

"I will don't worry." The four continued eating breakfast in anticipation of what beheld them on Thursday night.

The next couple days passed without incident. The golden troop was busy concentrating and trying to piece together all the knowledge they had already acquired. Jess on the other hand was nervous. She was meeting up with Draco after dinner and Hermione was coming with. She prayed that world war three didn't start.

Thursday night at dinner all was quiet save Ron. He was talking Harry's ear off about the House Cup that would be coming up in a short two months. Harry nodded politely where he saw fit as Ron blabbered on. Jess picked at her food with her fork, hardly eating any of it. Hermione watched her in interest. When Dumbledore left the Great Hall the group deliberated. Harry made his way to Dumbledore's office as Jess and Hermione headed for the seventh floor.

Ron looked puzzled and ran after them. "I know that Harry has things to do, but where are you two going?"

"Girl stuff, Ron." Jess replied politely while grabbing Hermione's arm and walking off. The redhead shrugged and went on his way back to the Gryffindor tower.

Jess was practically jogging down the hall she was so nervous. Hermione grabbed her wrist lightly and spun her around to face her. "Don't worry so much. Everything will be fine."

Jess laughed bitterly. "How can you say that when you've hated my boyfriend as long as you've known him?"

The bushy h aired girl sighed softly. "I hope everything goes well."

"Me too." They continued their way up to the room of requirement to see Draco waiting for them.

He crossed the hallway over to them and grabbed Jess' hand lightly. "Glad you could make it. Shall the three of us go in?"

Jess nodded meekly and the three went in. The room was the usual study and Hermione sat down in one of the plush chairs. Jess sunk down into the loveseat and Draco sat beside her.

He looked over at Hermione. "Alright Granger, hit me with it."

Hermione looked at him oddly. "What are you talking about?"

"The interrogation, I'm ready when you are."

She narrowed her eyes. "And what makes you think that I'm going to interrogate you?"

He smirked slightly. "You seem like the type of person who would."

Hermione huffed. "I still don't trust you."

"I honestly don't care if you do. The only person I care about trusting me already does."

She blinked and looked at Jess. "Very well then."

Draco had Jess' hand held lightly in his. "That's it? You surprise me Granger; I thought you would have asked a dozen questions by now."

Hermione mumbled something under her breath before answering. "Who says I don't have any questions?"

"Well, go on." He sat back in a more comfortable position. A smirk placed on his face.

"I don't see what you see in him, Jess. Anyways, first off why are you doing this?"

Draco gave a snort of laughter. "Isn't that obvious?"

"So there is a scheme behind this! I knew it."

"You jump to the wrong conclusions, Granger. If you'd keep your mouth shut for more than five second I could answer you." He paused here to look at her. Her cheeks were slightly red and all she did was nod. "Much better, now as I was saying… I'm doing all of 'this' because I love her. I'm torturing myself by listening to your rubbish and accusations because she means everything to me. Anything else you wanted to ask?"

She merely blinked in amazement that he had kept a straight face the entire time. _Oh, he's good,_ she thought to herself,_ he doesn't have me convinced though._ "Yes I do actually. Why would you risk all that you have to pull off this stunt?"

Draco rolled his eyes. "Did you hear what I just said? I do because I love her. It's a risk I'm willing to take. I'd rather lose all I had and gain her than never be with her. I can't put it in simpler words so hopefully you understand Basic English."

"Shove off, Malfoy. It just doesn't make any sense. You have all the security and wealth one could possibly wish for. From past experience I've realized that you're a coward and a spoiled brat, so this doesn't make any sense."

"The only thing I can say to that is that people change. Some in small ways, other in big ways that no one would deem imaginable."

Hermione nodded curtly. "You make no sense."

Draco smirked smugly. "I take pride in that."

She huffed once more. "You're impossible."

"In that as well. So, any other questions you have for me?"

"No, not at the moment."

Harry sat down in Dumbledore's office yet again. This time the pair went over many memories, in each one the teenage Tom Riddle had stolen very important and rare items, in all but one did he not steal a precious item, but instead asked his dear old head of house at Hogwarts, professor Slughorn, head of house of Slytherin in his day, what a horcrux was and if he knew anything about it. The professor seemed defensive and skirted around the topic at all costs, sending Tom to bed for the night. All of these items seemed to have connections to the four founding fathers of Hogwarts, Helga Hufflepuff's cup, Salazar Slytherin's locket, as well as his black ring that Marvolo had worn and passed onto his son Morfin when he died. In the two memories regarding taking these trinkets innocent lives were killed, including one Hepzibah Smith, Tom Riddle Sr., his father, as well as his muggle grandparents. But Voldemort was not convicted of these murders, when he altered the minds of Morfin, his uncle, and Hepzibah's little house elf, making them believe and confess to the ministry that they had killed those people, while Riddle ran off with the trinkets and wasn't heard from again for a very long time.

Harry looked perplexed at all of this information. He was curious as to why Voldemort stole all of these items. There had to be a reason behind it, and soon enough he was going to find out.

Dumbledore smiled at Harry. "I believe we have one more memory to look at. It has taken me until now to acquire. Do you remember the memory we saw of professor Slughorn's? How in places it blurred, obviously he was ashamed of his actions and does not want them to be seen. But I have finally, with some help, convinced professor Slughorn to give me the clean, unaltered memory. Shall we watch it then?"

Harry nodded as Dumbledore poured the memory into the penseive. The beginning of the memory was the same, that is until all of Riddle's henchmen left the room and it was just Tom and Slughorn. He asked about the horcruxes again.

"But you obviously know all about them, sir? I mean, a wizard like you- sorry, I mean, if you can't tell m, obviously- I just knew if anyone could tell me, you could- so I just thought I'd ask-" Tom's flattery was perfectly rehearsed and got Slughorn to cave in.

"Well." Slughorn said, not looking at Riddle, but fiddling with the ribbon on top of his box of crystallized pineapple he had gotten from Tom. "Well, it can't hurt to give you an overview of course. Just so that you understand the term. A Horcrux is the word used for an object in which a person has concealed part of their soul."

"I don't quite understand how that works, though, sir" said Riddle.

"Well, you split your soul, you see, and hide part of it in an object outside the body. Then, even if one's body is attacked or destroyed, one cannot die, for part of the soul remains earthbound and undamaged. But of course, existence in such a form..."

Slughorn's face crumpled and Harry found himself remembering the words he had heard nearly two years ago before. "I was ripped from my body, I was less than spirit, less than the meanest ghost… but still, I was alive."

"… few would want it Tom, very few. Death would be preferable."

But Riddle's hunger was now apparent; his expression was greedy, he could no longer hide his longing. "How do you split your soul?"

"Well you must understand that the soul is supposed to remain intact and whole. Splitting it is an act of violation, it is against nature." Slughorn replied, obviously uncomfortable with the conversation.

"But how do you do it?" Riddle persisted regardless.

"By an act of evil- the supreme act of evil. By committing murder. Killing rips the soul apart. The wizard intent upon creating a Horcrux would use the damage to his advantage: He would encase the torn portion-"

"Encase? But how?"

"There is a spell, do not ask me, I don't know!" Slughorn looked even more uneasy if possible. "Do I look as though I have tried it- do I look like a killer?"

"No, sire of course not. I'm sorry… I didn't mean to offend." Riddle quickly covered his tracks.

"Not at all, not at all, not offended. It's natural to feel some curiosity about these things… Wizards of a certain caliber have always been drawn to that aspect of magic."

"Yes, sir. What I don't understand though- out of curiosity- I mean would one Horcrux be much use? Can you only split your soul once? Wouldn't it be better, make you stronger, to have your soul in more pieces, I mean for instance isn't seven the most powerfully magical number, wouldn't seven-?"

"Merlin's beard, Tom! Seven! Isn't it bad enough to think of killing one person? And in any case… bad enough to divide the soul… but to rip it into seven pieces… Of course, this is all hypothetical, what we're discussing isn't? All academic…"

"Yes sir of course."

"But at the same time. Tom… Keep quiet, what I've told… that's to say, what we've discussed. People wouldn't like to think we've been chatting about Horcruxes. It's a banned subject at Hogwarts you know… Dumbledore's particularly fierce about it."

"I won't say a word sir." Riddle replied, and left, but not before Harry had glimpsed his face, which was full of that same wild happiness it had worn when he had first found out that he was a wizard, the sort of happiness that did not enhance his handsome features, but made them, somehow, less human…

The pair landed back in the room, Dumbledore seemed positive that his theory was correct. That Voldemort had made a horcrux, and not just one. "I received what I considered certain proof that Voldemort had spilt his soul." Dumbledore said after a pause.

"Where? What?" Harry asked.

"You handed it to me Harry. The diary, Riddle's diary, the one giving instructions on how to reopen the Chamber of Secrets."

"I… Don't understand, sir."

"Well, although I did not see the Riddle who came out of the diary, what you described to me was a phenomenon I had never witnessed. A mere memory starting to act and think for itself? A mere memory sapping the life out of a girl into whose hands it had fallen? No, something much more sinister had lived inside that book… A fragment of soul, I was almost sure of it. The diary had been a Horcrux. But this raised as many questions as it had answered. What intrigued and alarmed me most was that diary had been intended as a weapon as much as a safeguard."

"I still don't understand, sir."

"Professor Slughorn told Voldemort that they were kept safe so that they wouldn't die, but it seems as though he planted this one to be used. It makes me believe that there are more horcruxes else ware, in hiding. On the night he returned you mentioned later to me that he said to his death eaters, 'I, who have gone further than anyone along the path that leads to immortality.' He was referring to his horcruxes, in plural. He has been growing less and less human over the years, and now it makes sense… But now Harry, armed with this information, the crucial memory we now have, we are closer to the secret of finishing Lord Voldemort than anyone has ever been before. You heard him Harry. 'Wouldn't it be better, make you stronger, to have your soul in more pieces… isn't seven the most powerfully magical number…' Yes I think the idea of a seven-part soul would greatly appeal to Lord Voldemort."

"He made 'seven' Horcruxes. But they could be anywhere in the world- hidden- buried or invisible-"

"Not seven Horcruxes, six. The seventh part of his soul, however maimed resides inside his regenerated body. That was the part of him that lived a spectral existence for so many years during his exile' without that, he has no self at all. That seventh piece of soul will be the last that anybody wishing to kill Voldemort must attack- the piece that lives in his body."

"SO six then, how are we supposed to find them all?" Harry replied, already sounding slightly defeated.

"You forget, you have destroyed one, as have I."

Harry looked at him curiously. "You have?"

"Yes, I have. The ring, Marvolo's ring, it had a terrible curse on it, had it not been for my skill and professor Snape's timely action I would probably not be here today to tell you this. My injured hand was a small price to pay to have one seventh of Voldemort's soul gone. So the question is what can the other four be?"

Harry thought for a moment before loudly breaking the silence. "The locket! Hufflepuff's cup!"

"Yes I would think those became number three and four." He said with a smile. "Another might be an object from Ravenclaw, since the only known relic of Gryffindor remains safe." Dumbledore motioned behind him to where the ruby-encrusted sword stayed in a glass case.

"That leaves one more, though."

"I believe that due to the odd behavior of it, I would care to venture it is the snake, Nagini." The two continued to discuss when Dumbledore mentioned that was why he had been gone so much that year looking for remaining horcruxes. He mentioned he thought he might had found another. Harry seemed keen to go with, Dumbledore didn't refuse and thought it a good idea. Their talk ended with how Harry had one power that Voldemort did not have and that was the power of love.

Harry walked back ever so slowly as his thoughts swirled around in his head so rapidly, he almost had to sit down in the hall. When he arrived in the Gryffindor common room only his friends were there. He sat down quietly and looked at each one of them. A strained smile crossed over his face, trying to coax himself into believeing that everything would be alright, they'd find all of the horcruxes with ease, and that he'd finally destroy Voldemort. This was said easier than done but the false hope kept him going and he would feed off of it as long as he could.

"You figured it out." Hermione stated as a face instead of question. The look on his face xplained it all. "What happened?"

"Well, Dumbledore and I think we've figured it out. It's by no means going to be easy. I think it's best if I do this alone." He replied calmly.

"You know there's no way you're going to stop us from following you, If last year didn't prove that look back to all of the other things we have gone through, never alone, always together." Jess piped in while brushing a lock of hair out of her face.

"I know Jess, but this time I mean it. I have to be the one that does this."

"And you are, we'll help."

"Jess, I don't think you understand."

"I think I understand well enough what's going on! Look Harry, this doesn't only affect you. If you fail his first targets are going to be all of muggle kind. That's my entire family, Harry. I'm not going to let them all die just because you were too ignorant to let me help you!" She had stood up and began pacing around the room. "There's so much at stake, for all of us. We need to figure it out as soon as we can. Harry, the war is coming and fast. Faster than any of us can imagine. I want to meet it head on." Jess stopped in front of the cold window and looked out onto the grounds. "I want to make a difference. I want to help."

Hermione looked over from Jess to Harry. "As do we. Jess is right, Harry. Whatever it is you need to do it'll be better if you have us three with you. Jess, Ron and I are already seventeen. We could do something now if need be."

Harry sighed and ran a hand through his raven black, untidy hair. "Alright, but only when I think we're ready, will we start." The rest of them nodded and Jess walked back over as Harry began to tell his tale.

"I've heard of horcruxes before." Hermione whispered while leaning in. "Harry those are made from very powerful dark magic. We have to be careful; otherwise it might hurt us or even kill us."

He nodded grimly. "We'll need to start looking, and soon."

"We'll have to wait until you're seventeen Harry. Otherwise you're performing magic underage and the minister will set up another trial, and you'll probably get your want taken away for sure." Jess added to the conversation.

"But how are we going to get Nagini from him?" Hermione asked quietly.

"She'll probably have to be the last one we take out. Right now we can focus on the cup as well as the locket." Harry replied right away.

"And after those? We're missing one, and Dumbledore only gave you an idea of what it could be. And then there's Voldemort himself." Jess sounded doubtful.

"Jess you are pretty good friends with Rachel, right?" He asked after a second's hesitation.

"Yeah, I am."

"Ask her about anything of important value in Ravenclaw history. She might know something that we don't."

"Alright, and Voldemort?"

"That one only I can handle. Voldemort is up to me and me alone." He said grimly. The others understood and didn't question it any further. The prophecy had given Harry the final task of destroying Voldemort, so the part of his soul he still had, Harry would have to take out himself. They continued to talk until it was a struggle for them to keep their eyelids open. One by one they marched up to bed and eventually fell asleep.

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I'm curious as to what you all think of Hermione's reaction. As well as Draco's mini-interrogation. I tried my hardest to make the Horcrux bit as short as possible, but make sure everyone knows its still there. I'm also curious as to when you all see the movie what you think of it! My opinion, is that it is FAR better than OOTP. That movie was horrendous. Doesn't help it was my least favorite book. Blech... Anyways, until next chapter!


	62. A Sinking Feeling

Well hello everyone! It's been a while... or well since yesterday. Anyways, I felt the need to update once more, because I could. I know this will come as a shock but I'm almost done with this story. After this chapter I would say I have between 5 and 6 chapters left. Then onto the sequel which I am having the hardest of times writing at the moment... Anyways, I do not own HP!

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The rest of March went by and soon it was already the first weekend in April. That Saturday morning signaled the start of a Hogsmeade weekend. Also with the start of April meant that the Quidditch House cup was soon approaching. The Quiddicth house cup as always held on the second to last weekend in May so that the students would have a couple weeks afterwards to prepare for their finals. The house cup was then presented and the end of the year feast and the champions would have the trophy the whole next year. The Gryffindor's were playing against Hufflepuff next weekend. Ron wasn't about to take any chances though, he carted Harry away the instant they got to Hogsmeade to go and discuss strategy with him, as well as the rest of the team.

Jess rolled her eyes as Hermione looked on disapprovingly. "If he spent half the time he spends on thinking about on Quidditch, on studying he'd be doing a lot better in his classes."

"He doesn't really care much about that 'Mione."

"Well he should!"

"That's not going to get him to start now that he's on the team and has improved a lot, its going to be his life for the next seven weeks."

"Lucky for him we have a couple weeks after the Quidditch cup so he might be able to pull a miracle."

"He's done it before 'Mione, though he usually gives himself a little more time than three weeks… I'm meeting up with Rachel in the bookstore to discuss Ravenclaw artifacts want to come with?"

At the mention of the task at hand Hermione practically jumped. "Of course!" The pair walked to the bookstore and walked in. Not many people were in there as Jess, and Hermione made their way to the very back where Rachel was waiting for them.

"Hey guys!" She whispered with a smile as Jess and Hermione approached.

The pair sat down and faced Rachel. "Thanks Rachel, this is really important, as you know." Jess replied back.

"You told her?!" Hermione hissed in a low voice.

"No she didn't tell me; though I am awfully curious." Rachel replied before Hermione started having a fit. "I did a bit of research over the week and couldn't think of anything for the longest time! I then only realized it was staring at me in the face. It was obvious, right in front of me."

"What? What is it?!" Hermione asked a little impatiently.

"Rowena Ravenclaw's diadem. It was the most logical choice." It suddenly clicked in Jess and Hermione's minds. That had to be it. "Now, can I ask why you want to know?"

Jess and Hermione looked at each other, not knowing what they should say. After a couple minutes Jess leaned in and whispered so quietly that Rachel had trouble hearing her. "It will help us get rid of Voldemort."

"The diadem? But how?" Rachel looked at her perplexed.

"I can't tell you that. I've told you what I can. But Rachel, you need to promise me that you won't tell anyone else that we know about the diadem."

"I don't see the problem with you two knowing about it, but alright, if that' what you want."

"Thanks for understanding. I know this probably sounds a bit crazy but we know what we're doing."

"No need to explain it to me if you can't I'm glad I could help. Did you guys want to head to Honeydukes with me?"

Jess bit her lip, knowing that she hadn't hung out with her in a while. "I can't, I'm meeting up with my boyfriend."

"Oh, don't worry about it then. I'm sure we'll catch up soon enough."

"Thanks for understanding." Jess rose as did Hermione. The two bade her farewell and walked out of the store.

"We have to tell Harry what she told us." Hermione said quietly.

"Yes but not right now. Not while Ron is dragging him around and having meetings with the rest of the team. Come on, we should hurry. Draco should be waiting for us." Jess replied while quickening her pace.

Hermione grabbed her arm. "One more thing."

She looked at the bushy haired girl. "What?"

"You can't tell Malfoy anything about this."

"I know 'Mione. He had no idea about the horcruxes."

"Good, no matter how much he begs to know, don't tell him."

"Do you think I'm an idiot? I'm not going to tell him."

"But you're positive that he's changed."

"He 'has' changed, but I know his father hasn't Spies probably enter and leave his house frequently. I don't want to take that risk."

"You shouldn't be taking the risk you already are with him." Hermione stated matter-of-factly.

"Shut up! Regardless of what you say I know Draco has changed that he loves me and I love him." Jess replied fiercely, which caused Hermione to shut up. They walked in silence the rest of the way to the Shrieking Shack where Draco was waiting inside for them. As soon as they got in, Jess sat down on the couch next to Draco and wrapped her arms around him.

Draco did likewise and kissed her forehead. "Something wrong?"

"I'm just a little stressed." She murmured into his chest. All she wanted to do was escape the reality she had to endure and feel safe and free in Draco's warm embrace.

His grip around her tightened as he rested his chin on top of her forehead. "What are you stressed about?"

She sighed softly. "I can't talk about it."

A light blonde eyebrow rose in curiosity. "Oh? And what can't you tell me?"

"Draco I just can't!" Her voice sounded strained and tired.

He scoffed slightly. "Does Granger know?"

"Yes she does."

"Then why can't I?"

"Just trust me."

"Fine." He replied curtly. Jess stiffened due to the rigidness of his tone. Draco felt this and kissed her neck, trying to ease her if possible. "Alright, I won't ask." He stated in a calm voice. Her muscles relaxed against his and she buried her head into his broad chest. Draco's hand idly combed through her long hair. Hermione watched the pair with interest. Even when Draco had gotten mad, he still kept his cool when it came to Jess. She thought that even Draco Malfoy couldn't pull that off, but she was wrong. The majority of the time they spent there was in silence. It was oddly enough a comfortable silence. Hermione pulled out a book and read as Jess slept and Draco watched her. He would occasionally touch Jess' cheek of her hair. Just a simple touch eased him of the everyday stresses of life. He wished that he could depend on this comfort all of the time, but knew it wasn't possible. Soon enough their time together drew to a close. Draco helped Jess up and didn't leave until he got a heated kiss from her. Hermione had turned around as they kissed and dug her nose deeper into her book.

The trio then spilt ways. Jess sighed as her and Hermione walked back into the village. "It's going to be hard keeping this from him."

"You need to Jess. He can't find out. What if he rats us out to-" The bushy haired girl was cut off.

"He would not rat us out to Voldemort." Jess replied firmly. "Whatever, I'm leaving." She then stalked off ahead of her. Hermione shook her head, not knowing what to think.

The week went by fast as Saturday afternoon most of the student body piled into the stadium for a game of Quidditch. Jess and Hermione sat on the bleachers as they cheered on Ron, Harry and Ginny. This was the beginning of the Quidditch tournament. Gryffindor's first challenger was Hufflepuff.

Draco didn't feel like wasting his time on a match that in actuality didn't need to be played. Everyone already knew that Hufflepuff didn't stand a chance. He wished that it was Ravenclaw playing them instead so he could steal Jess away for a couple hours. But no, Gryffindor had to be playing. "Her and her stupid house pride." He muttered to himself, when he knew he was being a hypocrite, and if he wasn't on the Slytherin teams he could still go to every one of their matches. Draco walked down the abandoned halls to seek refuge in the library. Hopefully there he could find himself a book to save him from this unbearable boredom.

The billowing cloak of his lanky head of house stopped him short of his destination. Snape peered at Draco down his hooked nose. "May I have a word with you?"

He nodded at once. "Of course, sir." Draco then followed professor Snape down to his office in the dungeons. He entered after Snape and sat in a chair.

In a fluid movement Snape crossed the room and sat in the chair behind his desk. He thought for a brief moment before speaking. "Have you thought of any ideas as to how to complete your task?"

Draco sat back in his chair. Only for a second did panic flash over his face. As soon as it appeared it as gone. "How do you know about that?" He asked smoothly.

"I hear it from a reliable source. Now, have you come up with anything?"

"I have not."

"You do realize there is only about two months left of the school year?"

"I know that sir."

"Then why haven't you come up with any ideas?"

"I've been busy. I haven't had much time to think about it."

"Draco, you know that he will not take that as an answer."

Draco nodded slowly. He knew the urgency behind him finding a way to and the succeeding in killing Dumbledore, but he didn't want to. He didn't want to betray Jess. "Yes."

"I have a suggestion." He then rose from his seat and walked around his office. Draco tried to make it seem like he was interested. After a few moments of Snape pacing the room, he sat down and began to tell Draco his plan.

"Do you think that will work, sir?"

"It's a good start. He won't suspect a thing if it fails. You need to be cunning Draco. All of what you have and know is on the line."

"I know, air. I'll get right on it." He lied through his teeth, but the way he said it made it so believable. Snape gave him a curt head nod, showing that he was satisfied for the time being.

Draco stood and exited the room. Once he did all of the emotions that came with this flooded over him. Most of them were anger and frustration, and if not those something closely related to them. "I should tell Jess." He said to himself. But wait, she hadn't told him about something last weekend, and it had bothered him and still bothered him. "If she can keep secrets, so can I. After all I'm Draco Malfoy." He smirked smugly and walked down the hall with an air of a high class nobleman. Draco strutted back to his room, his Slytherin side getting the better of him.

Gryffindor of course won the game as the Hufflepuff team walked back inside defeated. A huge party started in the Gryffindor common room. Ron was as happy as could be. He was dancing on tables with a butterbeer in hand. Ginny hid her head shame, wishing she wasn't related to him. Hermione told him to get down before he ended up hurting himself. But of course, Ron didn't listen and soon enough ended falling off the table.

Jess on the other hand sat by a small table in the corner. It was a shame that during all of this positive and happy emotions that she was down. She couldn't relate with their joy when she knew what was coming. Jess stood and decided to leave the common room. Her mind and heart were not at ease as she stood in front of the gargoyle that led to Dumbledore's office. "Cauldron cakes." She whispered as the gargoyle leapt and the staircase became visible. A soft knock on the door signaled her arrival.

"Come in." Dumbledore's voice calmly said from the other side.

Jess opened the large oak door and stepped in. It shut behind her with a low groan as she walked over to the headmaster's desk. "Good evening sir."

"Ah, Miss. Anderson. How good to see you. Please sit down if you like. Would you like some tea?" He got up and went to get a kettle.

"No, but thank you for the offer." She responded in a monotone voice.

"It looks like you just might need one." He said with a twinkle in his eye. A couple moments later he returned with two cups of tea and placed one in front of her. "Was there something you wished to discuss?"

She sighed softly and looked over at the wise old professor. "Yes sir. How could you tell?"

"My dear you look positively worried and worn." The twinkling in his eyes dulled. "You have always been so bright and full of life; the person I see in front of me is quite the opposite."

Jess nodded silently ad looked down at her hands. "I don't know how to phrase all that's going on right now."

"Just start with how you feel."

"I feel… trapped. Like I'm trapped and can't get away from the prejudices and fate of the wizarding world. I want to help sir, but it's harder than it seems."

"Yes I can image so. The weight of the circumstances must be taking a heavier toll on you because you are so close with Harry." He didn't mention the other thing that je knew was on her mind.

"That's not all of it sir. I've been hiding something. Something that is risky, but I don't care!"

"You mean your relationship with Mr. Malfoy?" He asked casually.

Jess looked taken aback. She swallowed hard as she looked at him wide eyed. "How did you know that?"

"I suspected it quite a while ago, Jessica."

"But we've kept it so well hidden. No one knows, except Hermione. Did she tell you?" Her voice slightly rose in pitch due to shock.

Dumbledore chuckled softly. "No y dear she did not. That was my own assumption. So, I take it that I'm right?"

"Yes, sir."

"So that is what is troubling you?"

"It's not just that sir. It's the combination of the information I know from Harry about your meetings and from where Draco comes. Hermione is convinced he's going to turn against me at any minute. I know him better than that though. What he feels towards me is genuine! I worry for him, for what would happen to him if his father would find out about us. He already almost killed Draco just because I was talking to him! What would he do if he knew we've touched, hugged, kissed? He'd probably be six feet under. And then… As if to add to things, Draco himself is worried. He knows that soon Voldemort will be after him, making him do his biding. He doesn't want that professor. Draco doesn't want anything to do with Voldemort. He wanted to be free to choose his own path. Shouldn't he be allowed that?" She looked up at Dumbledore with nothing but sorrow in her eyes.

Dumbledore smiled sadly at her as he stood to pace around the room. "If only it was as simple as that. I do agree that Draco should be able to make his own decisions. It's a shame that you have to deal with all this hardship at such a young age. But this has proved to me how strong you are, and that you are capable of great and marvelous things. I unfortunately don't have the answers, nor do I think anyone does at this time. The only advice I can give is to strive forward and hold onto what is near and dear to your heart. Never give up on what you believe is right." He stopped and faced Jess and gave her a comforting smile.

Jess smiled back at him as she got out of her chair. Instead of going towards the door she went over to Dumbledore and hugged him. "Thank you professor."

He smiled and returned the hug, patting her back lightly. "Don't underestimate the power that your love for Draco holds."

"I won't sire, and thank you." Jess smiled and headed to the door. She walked down the hallway with a lighter heart.

* * *

Honestly, I had forgotten about Draco's encounter with Snape, and Jess seeking out Dumbledore. Now that I have re-read it, I'm glad that I write it. I think this is a slight fault of the books but you only see Dumbledore getting close with Harry. This way you can see the headmaster reaching out to the other students. No matter what anyone else says I think Dumbledore vaules and loves each of the students. Well, until next chapter!


	63. Potions Class

Hello everyone! Well here it is! ANother chapter! I must say this though, this is the third one until the end. You heard me, there's only two more after this. Well, what can I say, I didn't think it would be this quick but it is! Hope you all enjoy! I do not own HP.

* * *

The rest of the school week was busy and Jess and Draco hardly had time to see one another. As Saturday morning rolled around, Draco laced up and put on his dragon hide gloves. He perfected his image in the mirror and slicked back his hair. A smug look crossed over his face as he grabbed his Nimbus 2001 and took to the field. Ravenclaw would be his opponent today so Draco wasn't too concerned.

Jess was in the stands with Hermione, Harry and Ron. Ron and Harry watched the game closely for strategy purposes. They wanted to see if there was anything new up both team's sleeves. The game went on for about an hour and a half before Draco caught the snitch. A big grin crossed over Jess' face as everyone but the Slytherin's booed. Harry looked over to see her grinning. "Jess? Why are you grinning?"

She snapped out of it and looked over at him. "Huh?"

"You started grinning once Malfoy caught the snitch."

"Oh. I was just thinking about how he won't stand a chance when he's against you."

Harry gave her a smug grin. "He hasn't won a single match against Gryffindor has he?"

"Not once." She smiled back at him.

"He'll always come out in second place."

Jess nodded as she stood. Harry was hardly ever cocky, but when it came to Draco he was, since Draco always acted like he was better than Harry. For Harry it was always fun to rub his nose in the dirt over the fact he could never win a Quidditch match against him. But when it came to winning Jess' heart, Draco had come up on top and vanquished any chance Harry had.

Ron quickly caught up with Harry and carted him away, claiming he had a breakthrough for a new play. They raced off into the castle as Jess and Hermione walked at a normal pace. After a minute Jess stopped walking and faced Hermione. "'Mione I'm going to stay behind."

Hermione nodded and lightly placed her hand on her arm. "Just be careful you aren't seen."

"I will, don't worry."

Hermione smiled softly. "I'll be in the common room." She walked off at a steady pace and soon too had disappeared.

Jess snuck back to the locker rooms and waited while hiding on the side so no one would see her. She saw both Crabbe and Goyle exit, as well as the chasers and the keeper. After a few minutes Jess came out of her hiding place.

Draco had a confident smirk on his face as he sat down and pulled off his dragon hide gloves. "That was too easy. Next time I'll have Potty for sure." He ran a hand slowly through his slicked back hair when he heard a soft knock. "Who's there?" He asked snottily.

"Is it just you in there?" Jess asked in a low voice.

Draco's tone changed at once. "Come in."

Jess walked in and saw him sitting on the bench. "Congratulations."

"Thanks." He nodded and offered her a seat next to him.

She smiled and sat down beside him. "Harry saw me smiling when you caught the snitch."

He smirked and puffed out his chest. "That was pretty amazing wasn't it? Ol' Scarhead wouldn't have able to do it. I was fortunate enough to rely on my skills and catch it right before it flew away."

Jess rolled her eyes and poked him in the chest, deflating him in the process. "You shouldn't be so full of yourself. It's a major turn-off."

His lips curled into a grin as one of his eyebrows rose slightly. "Oh? So I turn you on? I mean how could I not? Look at me; I have the physique of a god." Draco grabbed her and pulled her closer.

"Draco… I don't think this is the best place to get fresh with each other."

"I think different. No one is coming back here. It's just you and me." He murmured seductively into the nape of her neck.

"Draco I'm serious!" She managed to choke out.

"Then why aren't you stopping me?" His warm breath tickled her neck as he leaned over and placed a kiss at the base of her neck."

"Because I don't want you to."

"Mmm, sounds good to me." He lifted his eyes and looked into hers before placing a kiss on her lips.

Jess smiled into his lips as they kissed. Her hands soon found his platinum hair so that when she was done with it, it was no longer slicked back. Draco, being the hormonal teenage boy he is stepped over his boundaries and eased her back onto the bench and pinned her wrists down.

"Draco!" She gave him a mock angry look as she blushed.

"Did you know that you are absolutely beautiful when you blush?" He purred softly.

"None of my clothes are coming off Draco Malfoy." She warned him.

"You have no idea what I was thinking." He defended quickly.

"I have some pretty good guesses'."

Draco bent his head down so it was hovering slightly over hers. "Well, I am a guy, and I'm a Slytherin."

"I shouldn't have come in here."

"You need to have a little more faith in me than that." He dipped his head down and placed a firm kiss on her lips while releasing her wrists. His arms wrapped around her waist as he pulled her back up all while not breaking the kiss. He was the one to pull away after a few moments. "Do you know just how tempting you are?"

"I would imagine I would have to be somewhat if Zabini attacked me the way he did." She said bitterly.

A low growl came out from deep in Draco's throat. His arms naturally tightened around her at the thought of the slimy bastard. "Jess, you're very tempting. Everything about you is alluring. You can't help yourself. I'm surprised someone hasn't tried to jump you earlier."

"Probably because they knew that Ron and Harry would make them wish they had never seen me."

"Hey, give me some credit. I would make sure they never lived a happy existence." He mock pouted.

Jess couldn't help but laugh. "Oh I know you would. Harry and Ron would be the least of their worries." She looked up at him and grinned.

Draco gave her another quick kiss. "That's much better."

"Have I told you how thankful I am that you stopped Zabini?"

"You're told me many times and every time I tell you back that it was no trouble."

"Draco it was a big deal." She reminded him.

"If that happened all over again I wouldn't change how I acted in one bit, except I would have make sure that there was a bit more pain on his end." He looked off into the distance as he held her firmly in his arms.

"Draco?" She looked up at him. "You alright?"

He looked down at her and smiled. "Yeah, I'm fine."

"Thank you again. I don't think I can ever thank you enough."

"You've thanked me enough as it is. But a couple kisses for my saving you would be welcomed."

She rolled her eyes. "Because that is such a problem."

"Less talking more kissing." He teased while stealing a kiss.

Jess pulled away. "You're lucky that I knew you like me for more than me looks and kisses."

He smirked, "Of course I do. How could I not?"

"I dunno."

"I couldn't that's what."

"Draco?"

"Yeah?"

"Shut up and kiss me."

He smirked again. "Can do." Draco then pulled her in for a deep kiss.

On Wednesday afternoon the sixth year Gryffindor's and the Slytherin's trudged down to the dungeons to see that professor Snape's door was already open. He stood at the entrance with a piece of parchment. "Come in, but do not sit down." He mumbled as the students nodded and walked in. Once they all filed into the room Snape began to speak. "For today's potion, you will be working with assigned partners. I alerted professor Dumbledore about the potion that you would be creating today. It is a very serious and risky potion to brew; one simple mistake could end very badly for you and your partner." He paused here to look at the students scathingly. "To prove me point the headmaster made the pairs for today's class. This potion will take us the next three lessons to complete. Are there any questions before I pair you off?" He got no answer in reply. "Hopefully these assigned partners will make you realize the seriousness of this potion. Do not dilly-dally." He cleared his throat and began reading off pairs. "Hermions Granger and Vincent Crabbe, Ronald Weasley and Millicent Brodstroe, Pansy Parkinson and Neville Longbottom, Gregory Goyle and Parvati Patil, Jessica Anderson and Draco Malfoy…" Snape continued to drone on and on. With each listing off of a pair the gloomier the room became. At the end of the list the students gave their designated partners an all knowing glare before sitting down next to each other.

Snape walked over to the board and tapped on it with his wand. "We will be starting the Blood Replenishing Potion. Today will be an introductory on the Blood Replenishing Potion. Your ingredients are…" He flicked his wand at the board and the ingredients appeared.

"The Blood Replenishing Potion has been very useful in the past. It has saved many lives over the years. It was first discovered during the late Middle Ages or early Renaissance period. There is a reason this potion is taught in your sixth year. I will say this now; most of you will fail in making the potion. This is a potion that sets apart the true potion makers from the posers. I will be surprised if five or more of you succeed in making the potion correctly." Snape then sat down at his desk. "But for those of you who do manage, it will give you the satisfaction of feeling competent at least once in your lives… The process that you will start today is the thinning of the Re'em blood you use in this potion. This along with thinning out the crocodile blood are one of the hardest steps. This is where most witches and wizards make their mistakes. You will thin out the Re'em blood until it has a solution potency of forty-five percent. You will need four-hundred milliliters before you move on to the next step. I expect most of you will not finish this today. Begin." With that, the professor went on to grade papers in silence.

Jess stood up from her seat and went to the back of the room. She grabbed enough Re'em blood to start the process and then sat down. "We better get a good grade on this." She said coldly to Draco. After all, no one could know they _liked_ each other.

Draco sneered and grabbed the blood from her. "Just read the directions, Anderson." He didn't look at her.

"First make sure that you have two hundred milliliters of Re'em blood."

"Hopefully even _you_ could do that." He drawled sarcastically.

"Of course I can you twit. Are you sure you can do this?" She looked at him with a raised eyebrow, mocking his ability of transporting water into the container.

Draco paid no attention to her comment. "Just read."

"You will end up having a little extra. Do not add the extra bit to your potion. You must add exactly four-hundred milliliters of forty-five percent solution. She paused and looked at him.

"What?" He snapped back.

"Don't be hasty and throw the whole thing in."

"I understand that."

"Good."

"Keep reading."

Jess looked back at the textbook. "Only add five milliliters of pure water at a time and allow one minute between each addition of water so that the blood can stabilize itself."

Draco groaned in annoyance. "It's going to take us over half an hour to add all the water."

"Let's get started then."

Draco muttered under his breath as he added the first five milliliters of water. The pair then waited a full minute before Draco added five more. They just barely finished thinning the blood before class ended. Jess labeled their blood vile and then put it in an incubator to make sure it stayed cool. She then grabbed her stuff and went to leave.

As she got to the door she arrived at the same time as Draco. He grunted and looked down at her. "Out of my way."

"I got here first." She replied, not budging an inch.

Draco then pushed her into the door frame. "Smell ya later." He retorted snidely while leaving, not looking back at her.

Jess huffed in annoyance and picked up her book that she dropped. "Brat." She muttered to herself as she walked out the door while clutching one of her fists in frustration. Jess heard a crinkling of paper. She looked down to her hand and opened it. A small piece of parchment sat on her palm all wrinkled up. Jess quietly opened it. She read the small note and smiled widely as she registered the three words in Draco's familiar scrawl. _I love you._

The rest of the week went by uneventfully until that Saturday. After their first win in the make-shift playoff's Gryffindor was looking for another. They knew they could do it, but it wouldn't be as simple. There were playing Ravenclaw today. Last time they had played, their opponent had been Hufflepuff, which was by far the easiest team to play. Ron was a bit panicked as Harry gathered the team together for a last pep talk. The team congregated on the bench in the locker room. "Alright, now I know we can do this. We've played Ravenclaw before and won. What's different about this time?" He looked around after asking his open ended question.

"We're playing for the house cup!" Ron exclaimed after a second. "If we don't win, Slytherin will!"

"Ron you make it sound like the world would go into another ice age if that happened." Ginny replied sarcastically.

"It just might! I mean Malfoy is the personified definition of ice."

Ginny blinked in utter amazement. "Who have you been talking to lately? And when did you learn what personification means?"

"I've been talking to Jess… Why?"

"That explains it."

"Hey!"

"Anyways, Ron just chill out. We're going to win. Don't choke, alright?" Harry interrupted while looking at the siblings.

Ron nodded, not really being able to focus. He put on his gloves and grabbed his broom. "Let's go."

"That's more like it!" Harry grinned and led the team outside. They were welcomed warmly by the loud cheers from the Gryffindor section of the crowd. This snapped Ron out of his trance as he mounted his broom and quickly booked it to h is side of the field.

The Quaffle was thrown up and Alicia Spinnet grabbed it and went towards the Ravenclaw side of the field. Ginny went after her for support and help. Ron watched the action on the far side of the field.

Harry looked up to the skies and began his search. Cho Chang looked around for the snitch as well. Her long black hair shined in the spring sunlight. He looked away quickly and focused on finding the snitch. True, Harry had had a crush on her for a few years, but once he had gotten to know her it soon faded. In his eyes Cho had lost the beauty he had thought he had saw. She was still pretty, but not for him. She was still Cedric's if he wouldn't have died. Harry had a hunch the couple would still be together.

Down at the main action, Alicia had scored the first goal, giving Gryffindor ten points. A long battle at Ron's end of the field occurs but resulted in no points. He threw the Quaffle to Ginny and all the chasers soon were on the other side of the field.

Ginny narrowly missed a bludger as she soared to the Ravenclaw side of the field. She passed the Quaffle to Alicia, which caught the Ravenclaw chasers off guard. When Ginny found an opening, Alicia threw back the Quaffle and Ginny easily scored.

The Gryffindor section of the crowd erupted into cheers. Hagrid beamed proudly as he watched his house play well. Jess and Hermione cheered alongside the rest of their house.

Draco had decided to skip out on the game. He had other things to do. He was in the Room of Requirement with professor Snape, repairing a cabinet. Why he was doing this he had no idea, but the professor claimed it would be very helpful. Draco, not having much else to do tagged along. Apparently the professor had been working on it before and was almost done. With Draco's help the cabinet would be as good as new. They worked diligently throughout the entire Quidditch game.

Snape stood up and wiped his sweaty brow. "It's finished."

"Sir, what was the point of doing this?" Draco asked bluntly.

"You'll see soon enough Draco." Snape led the pair out of the Room of Requirement and to his office. "How have things been going this week?"

"Alright as usual. I noticed you paired me up with Jess. Was that for a particular reason?" He asked skeptically.

"I was not the one who paired up everyone. That was professor Dumbledore."

"Right. I forgot." Draco stood up from the chair he was sitting in. "Professor?"

"Yes, Draco?"

"Tell him thanks."

"Of course."

Draco nodded and left the room. He heard cheering from outside, Gryffindor cheers. "Figures, Saint Potter led them to a victory as usual." He snorted and went back to his room.

The game had been going on and was intense. Gryffindor stayed up only by a score or two for the entire duration of the game. For a few short minutes the Ravenclaw team would score a goal and tie, making the game even more stressful. At one point in the game Ron missed a save which resulted in Ravenclaw being ahead by a goal. Luckily for him that didn't last long.

Harry and Cho were busy scanning the air for the snitch. It showed itself a few times but not for very long. Finally, Harry saw it and took a sharp turn, cutting off the snitch as he firmly grasped it in his hand. The Gryffindor's shouted with excitement as Harry was engulfed in a team group hug the second his feet touched the ground. The entire team was carted upstairs to the Gryffindor common room where the party started. T he party lasted all afternoon, until everyone was exhausted around midnight. Everyone crashed the minute their heads hit their pillow.

The beginning of the week was long. Professor McGonagall had assigned them a lot of homework on Tuesday morning. Ron made sure his feelings on this were voiced. They walked into Potions on Wednesday afternoon, not wanting to be there.

Snape walked in and sat down. He didn't say one word to the students, which meant they should start working. Their potions would be complete today. All they needed to do was cut and add half of a dragon spleen, as well as crush up some Gryffin horn and add one-hundred and seventy-five grams. They then would wait until the potion turned into the right shade of dark red and bottle up a sample with their names on it for Snape.

Jess and Draco were really laying the whole hating each other act on thick. It was a surprise Jess hadn't smacked him hard in the face. They were at it so much that Harry, Ron, and Hermione were yelling at Draco and threatening him as well. This would soon all change.

The table next to Jess and Draco's was none other than Neville's and Pansy's. Neville had been working really hard not to mess up the potion. So far everything was going like it was supposed to. They added the dragon spleen, half of it, Neville had made sure he copied it down correctly. He was golden. There wasn't anything he could mess up. He felt on top of the world. For once, Snape would find nothing wrong with his potion. He added the griffin horn powder and readied their vial to give to Snape.

Draco was in mid sentence of mocking Jess when he heard a loud explosion. He instantly ducked for cover. Red liquid shot itself everywhere. Neville looked at his half-empty cauldron with one of the most defeated and pathetic looks ever.

After a minute most people looked up from their position under their desk. Snape briskly walked over and began yelling at Neville, who turned very red in the face. Harry helped Hermione up and Ron stood on his own.

"You alright, 'Mione?" Harry asked while brushing himself off.

"Yeah I'm fine." She replied, "Where's Jess?"

Ron pointed in disbelief, his face contorted with a look that mixed anger and confusion. "There."

On his way down to the floor heading for cover, Draco grabbed Jess. There was no way he was going to let his girlfriend get injured because of how idiotic Neville could be. He cradled Jess' body close to his, shielding her from whatever would come flying. His hand laid gently on the back of her head, making it tuck right under his chin and rest on his strong chest.

Draco pulled his face away slightly so h e could look down at her. He figured that everyone else was hiding under their desks and wouldn't be paying attention. "Are you alright?" He asked quietly.

Jess looked up at him and nodded. "Thanks, I didn't see that coming." She smiled warmly at him. "Are you alright?"

Draco tightened his arms around her. "Never better." He leaned his head down to hers and placed a gentle kiss on her soft lips. "I wish we could do this more often in public." He murmured as he nipped her ear.

A deep red hue crossed over her cheeks. "Draco someone's going to notice. Let me go while everyone is still on the floor and hasn't seen anything."

He reluctantly let go of her and put his characteristic scowl back on his face. He brushed himself off and stood with a certain air about him. Draco then looked at her with disgust. His upper lip even curled slightly.

Jess got up and grabbed their vial of the potion. Luckily it hadn't been ruined in the explosion. She proceeded to turn to Snape's desk when she noticed Ron, Harry and Hermione. From the look on Ron's face and how Hermione was shaking her head, Jess knew that they saw them. She placed the vial on his desk and walked back over to her desk and grabbed all of her things before quickly leaving.

Draco watched her leave. He then looked over to see the golden trio. The two boys glared at him while Hermione looked at him sympathetically. He strutted out of the room with confidence. When he rounded the corner, Draco quickly picked up his speed and soon caught up to Jess. "Jess!"

She quickly turned around and looked up at him. Her expression confirmed Draco's fear. "They saw us." She said just above a whisper.

"All three of them? Was it just them or did anyone else see?"

"It was just them, but that's not good. Hermione won't tell anyone but Ron and Harry… Draco I don't know. Ron looked irate. It was a miracle he didn't start yelling right there."

He ran a hand through his silver-blonde hair. "You have to convince them not to tell anyone. I can't stress how important it is that they don't tell anyone." He placed his hands on her shoulders and looked her right in the eyes.

"I know! Don't you think I know that?! DO you realize what I have to go back to because you had to kiss me? Ron's going to probably cuss me out and disown me. Hermione is going to have to choose sides. And I don't even know what Harry is going to think. He probably thinks I've betrayed him!" She shook her head and held back the tears, just barely. "Ron might turn my whole house against me because he's pissed. Draco I don't know what to do!" Jess leaned up against the wall while hugging herself tightly.

Draco crossed over to the side of the hall she was on and engulfed her in his arms. "We'll figure it out. I'm just glad no one else saw. Potter and Granger combined should be able to tame the weasel."

"This isn't funny Draco!"

"I don't think it is. This is serious. If this goes the wrong way a lot of things will be on the line."

"I'll see what I can do Draco, but I'm not promising anything, alright?"

He nodded and let go of her. "Once this was it over we won't have to hide anymore."

"If we make it to that day." She replied bitterly.

"Hey, I'm supposed to be the negative one here." Draco replied matter-of-factly.

Even though the situation was very serious, Jess couldn't help but laugh. "You're right; I'm looking forward to that day."

"I will be too." Draco winked at her and then disappeared down the hall.

Jess sighed as her back slid against the brick wall. "What am I going to do? I don't know how to fix this. Please let this go over well. Please, God." She looked up at the ceiling. Her gaze remained upward as she clasped her hands together on her knees. Her bottom was resting on the cold floor. Slowly her eyelids closed as she whispered, "Please."

* * *

You knew it had to happen soon didn't you? I mean, how lame would this story be if they didn't find out? Haha, well hopefully it was as exciting as I thought it was! Only two more chapters to go! Then we start on the sequel, which I actually wrote 30 pages for today. That's a miracle in itself. Say to say, it's been a while since I've had real inspiration for that one. But now I'm on a roll! Well anyways, see you next chapter!


	64. It's Either Him or Me

Hello everyone! I bet you're all surprised I am putting this one up so soon! Well I feel the rush of getting everything up so I can finally say this story is completed! Only one more chapter after this to go! Exciting is it not?! Well, I think this chapter is quite genius. There was a part in here where I had to stop typing it for a moment so I could laugh obsessively. Oh yes, there's some silly stuff in here, as well as some serious! The best of both worlds I guess? Well why don't you find out for yourself! I do not own Harry Potter, or the song mentioned in this chapter!

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After a couple minutes Jess rose from her spot and traveled down the hall. She walked up to the Gryffindor common room to see Harry, Ron, and Hermione waiting there for her. She swallowed the lump in her throat with difficulty. "Hey guys…"

"Let's go to our room shall we?" Harry suggested calmly.

Jess nodded and followed the three of them upstairs. The staircase journey seemed so much shorter when Jess knew what awaited her on the other side. She braced herself for the tears and shouting match she knew was bound to come. When they arrived she stayed standing in case she had to run. Ron stayed standing as well, as to make sure she didn't.

Harry and Hermione sat down and looked up at the pair. "You can sit by me, Jess." Hermione offered warmly. Reluctantly Jess sat down. Only when she sat did Ron. The stare down began as Ron tried to decipher what she was thinking.

After five long minutes, Ron finally spoke. "Malfoy? What the bloody hell is wrong with you?! Merlin! That's Draco Malfoy that touched you! That slimy, disgusting, muggle hating ferret. And you let him?! What the hell is wrong with you?! You realize that he could in any second kill you? Yet you like and stay with that scum? What happened to you?! You broke up with Harry for _that_?! What did you hit your head with a bludger?! What good is going to come out of a relationship with Malfoy?? I'll tell you, NOTHING! Unless you want to be cold, purple, cease existing and six feet under before you're eighteen, because that's where you're heading!!" Ron practically was screaming at the top of his lungs. It was a good thing Hermione had put a charm on the room before he started talking.

Jess looked at him sternly. "Are you done tearing me limb from lime? 'Cause I have something to say to you." She barked back. "I'll have you know that you have NO idea about what the hell you're talking about. You don't have a damn clue about what Draco is actually like! Takes a prick to know one." She sad with venom in her tone.

Ron looked taken aback. He stood quickly; the tips of his ears bright red. "SO that's what I am, a prick?"

"You're sure as heck acting like one!"

"Take that back!" He shouted louder.

"No! I won't! Suck it up and deal with it! You're being an ass by yelling at me and telling me how stupid and wrong I am for liking a guy!"

"This is Draco Malfoy we're talking about! The biggest and cockiest bastard in the entire history of Hogwarts!"

"Watch your mouth you prat!" Jess whipped out her wand. "Sit down and listen to what I have to say before you open your fat mouth and make anymore judgments!"

Ron reluctantly sat down because he hadn't brought out his wand fast enough. He sat down in a huff. "Go on. Convince me that Malfoy is the prime example of an upstanding citizen and the perfect boyfriend." He crossed his arms and waited.

"First off I didn't say any of that. You're putting words into my mouth. And second you need to be quiet and listen to what I have to say."

"Say whatever you want case I'm not going to be convinced."

Jess completely ignored his last comment and began talking. "Draco is a different person than he leads people on to think. For example, did you see how he made sure I was safe by putting himself in the line of danger so I wouldn't get hurt? That's how he is to me Ron. Draco truly cares about me and doesn't want me to get hurt in any way. He'd rather get punished for things he didn't do than see me hurt. You want to know who saved me from Zabini? I never told you who did because I didn't want you to bother him about it. But it was Draco who came to my rescue. Draco who brought me to the hospital wing and alerted the professors. It was Draco who didn't leave my side until he knew I'd be alright. I know he's been a real jerk in the past but that really isn't him. He's been controlled all his life. The fact that he risked his neck for me to make sure I was safe I can't even fathom as to why he did it. All I can say is that I know his feelings are genuine. He really does care about me. Draco Malfoy loves me and I love him back." Jess then sat back down and placed her wand in her pocket to pose as less threatening.

Ron blankly stared ahead and said nothing. He just looked at Jess in confusion. Hermione walked over to Jess and placed a hand on her shoulder. "I think that's enough for tonight. They have a lot of thinking to do." Jess took the cue and got up as well. The two girls walked out of the room, leaving the two boys alone.

Ten minutes later Ron turned to Harry. "I can't believe what I just heard."

"I know Ron, it shocked all of us."

"To defend Malfoy like that."

"I know."

"When he doesn't deserve any for all the crap he's done to us in the past."

"Yet…"

"Yet she does. And she can say it with a straight face that she loves him. She _loves_ him Harry."

"I heard her the first time Ron."

"What are we supposed to think?"

"I don't know."

"She dumped you for _Draco Malfoy_, Harry."

"I know Ron."

"What am I supposed to say to her saying she _loves_ him?"

"Nothing. Maybe we're making too big of a deal out of this and need to accept it because she really means it."

Ron blinked. "Are you serious?"

"No, of course not. This is Malfoy we're talking about."

"You're worried too?"

"Just because I'm not dating her anymore, doesn't mean I don't care." Harry replied dryly. "I'm really worried, and am curious as to what Malfoy did to trick her."

"So you think it's a trick too?"

"That's what it has to be. How could she possibly actually _love_ him?" If Harry only knew the half of it he would have his answer. Jess and Hermione spent the rest of the night on homework and talking. Around eleven the pair went to sleep. Jess' thoughts were racing in her mind on over-drive. She didn't know if she should have told them the truth. Now that they knew, Hess didn't know if they would believe her or if they'd only go after Draco. Only time would tell. Jess silently prayed to herself that things didn't have to get ugly.

When Jess woke up the next morning she knew that Ron and Harry wouldn't be happy with her. So it came to no surprise when both Harry and Ron gave her the silent treatment. It was a small price to pay. Jess still had Hermione, Ginny, and Rachel. She spent all of her free time between them and Draco.

Harry received a letter from Dumbledore wanting to meet with him on Saturday evening, since his house didn't have a Quidditch match. He waited with anticipation what he would learn next about the horcruxes and how to destroy them.

Thursday and Friday passed quickly. Friday night was a much needed downtime for all the students. Jess was looking forward to the weekend because neither Gryffindor nor Slytherin was playing. She'd be able to spend time with Draco. And since Harry and Ron were still mad at her, she didn't have to worry about them.

A soft tap sounded at her window and Jess smiled. There was Aeolus as black as the night. The only way she could tell he was there was because of his large golden eyes. Jess quickly opened the window and let him in. He hopped in and held out his leg with a piece of parchment. Hermione watched with interest from her bed. Jess removed the parchment and read.

_Up for a broom ride tonight?_

_D.M._

A big grin crossed over Jess' cheeks as she wrote yes in response and tied it to Aeolus' leg. She then let him out and grabbed her cloak and headed to the door.

"Where do you think you're going?" Hermione asked as she looked up from her book.

"Out."

"Jess, that's not a good idea. Look what happened last time."

"We won't be in the idle of a classroom in broad daylight."

"Jess…"

Jess shouldered her broom and was out the door. She snuck into Harry and Ron's room to see no one there. "Perfect." She quickly slipped it on and was gone. Jess made her way down to the pitch, where even in the pitch black you could see Draco's platinum hair. "Hey." She said while coming up behind him.

Draco turned and smirked. "Fancy meeting you here."

Jess rolled her eyes. "Wipe that smirk off your face."

He did quickly and grabbed her broom from her. "Why did you bring this?"

"You mentioned a broom ride."

Draco gently tossed it on the ground. "I brought mine."

"Oh, I got it." She smiled, "trying to pull a move on me?"

He grinned and got on, leaving her plenty of room to get on in front of him. "Something like that."

"Draco!"

"What?"

"Nothing…"

He snorted, "Just get on."

"Are you going to man-handle me?"

"No, I'll just make sure you don't fall off."

She rolled her eyes. "Thanks."

"Anytime. Now hop on."

"I'm coming." Jess climbed up and sat on the broom in front of him. Draco put his arms securely around her waist and kicked off.

They soared up into the clouds. Jess' lush brown hair whipped around in the wind. The cool breeze was so soothing that Jess had the urge to sing. "I feel like singing." She commented.

"Then sing I won't stop you."

Jess rolled her eyes. "You have no idea what song I'm talking about do you?"

Draco shrugged, "Not a clue."

"Did you watch movies as a kid?"

He blinked. "I'm going to guess that's a muggle thing."

"Yeah, it is."

"Go ahead and sing to your heart's content. I've never heard you sing before."

"I'd want you to sing along."

"What??"

"Well if you knew the song. It really fits the mood."

"And what mood are we in?"

"A romantic one."

Draco smirked, "I can help that along." He held her tighter and pressed a kiss on the nape of her neck.

Jess smiled, "Would you sing with me if I supplied the words?"

"Jess, I don't sing…"

"Have you ever tried?"

"No, it's frowned upon in my house."

"That's a crime!"

"Wouldn't be the first thing." He muttered under his breath.

"Come on Draco, I bet you have a really nice voice."

"I doubt it."

"You'll never know if you don't try."

"I don't want to find out."

"I'm not going to kiss you until you do it."

"What the hell? I'm being bribed?"

"Yep, take it or leave it."

He muttered again. "Fine, but you need to give me the words."

"I can do that. It's from my favorite movie as a kid."

Draco didn't know what that had to do with anything. "Alright, I'm ready."

Jess grabbed out her wand. "Accio pen and paper. Slow down a bit Draco."

He slowed down as the paper and pen came. "Should we land?"

"No, just go really slow for a bit." Jess wrote down the words in a couple minutes and then handed them to him.

"How am I supposed to read this when it's dark?"

Jess clipped on a battery powered light. "There you go."

"I thought muggle technology didn't work here."

"Well things that require electricity from an outlet don't work, but battery powered things can."

"Did I ever mention how amazing you are?"

"Once or twice." She smiled, "Now go a bit faster hold me tight, and we'll sing."

Draco did as he was told. "No one gets to hear about this got it?"

"Yep."

Draco looked at the paper and got himself ready. "I can show you the world, shining shimmering, splendid. Tell me princess now when did you last let your heart decide?" His voice was a light bass, and wasn't stellar, nor was it awful. It was more than tolerable and slightly pleasant sounding. "I can open your eyes. Take you wonder by wonder. Over sideways and under on a magic carpet ride. A whole new worlds, a new fantastic point of view. No one to tell us no or where to go. Or say we're only dreaming." He stopped there.

Jess then stepped in, in her second soprano voice that had about the same talent level as Draco's. "A whole new world, a dazzling place I never knew. But when I'm way up here it's crystal clear, that now I'm in a whole new world with you."

"Now I'm in a whole new world with you." AT that moment Draco had them brus through the clouds.

"Unbelievable sights, indescribable feeling, soaring, tumbling, freewheeling, through an endless diamond sky. A whole new world."

"Don't you dare close your eyes."

"A hundred thousand things to see."

"Hold your breath if its better."

"I'm like a shooting star. I've come so far. I can't go back to where I used to be"

"A whole new world."

"Every turn a surprise."

"With new horizons to pursue."

"Every moment red-letter."

They then joined together. "I'll chase them anywhere, there's time to spare, let me share this whole new world with you."

Then Draco went solo. "A whole new world."

Then Jess did. "A whole new world."

"That's where we'll be."

"That's where we'll be."

"A thrilling chase."

"A wondrous place."

They joined together once more. "For you and me."

Jess looked behind her to see Draco and smiled. Draco captured her lips in a tender kiss, as they rode along in the night sky. Draco kissed her again this time a little deeper. Jess smiled against his lips and kissed him back.

Draco parted and looked into her eyes. "If that happens when we sing; I might toy with the idea of doing it again."

Jess rolled her eyes. "Oh shut up." The pair kissed once more before landing back on the pitch and going back in for the night.

Saturday afternoon announced the next Quidditch match in the seven week marathon of them. This week's game was Hufflepuff and Ravenclaw; so naturally Jess didn't feel too compelled to go. But at the same time it would be the perfect place to escape to and not have to worry about Harry and Ron. They were still avoiding her, and it wasn't a feeling she was particularly fond of. Jess stood right outside of the pitch and greeted Rachel as she came up.

The tall Ravenclaw smiled. "I didn't think you'd be here for the game."

"I figured Harry and Ron wouldn't be here." Jess commented back

Rachel's smile disappeared. "Oh, what's wrong with Harry and Ron?"

Jess led her a good distance away from the crowd before she whispered. "They found out about my new boyfriend."

"Why? What's wrong with your boyfriend?"

"Ph I don't know, might have to do with the fact that he's Draco Malfoy."

Rachel looked at her shocked. She took a step back as her eyes widened to twice their size. Her mouth hung open slightly. "Malfoy?"

"Yes I didn't stutter now did I?" She replied back a little harshly. "Don't you remember me asking you what you thought about him before Christmas holidays?"

"You've been with him that long??"

"Not quite, but by then I was faking being happy with Harry. I was fooling myself, Rachel. Forcing myself to realize how lucky I was, but I didn't let anyone else know that."

"How long have you been with him?"

"A little over three months."

"I wouldn't have suspected it at all. You hid it well."

"Rachel, there's a reason I told you. And it's so if Harry or Ron comes and blabs to you, you aren't outraged and tell someone else. No one else can know. Too many people already know."

She nodded, "I understand, but why Malfoy?"

"He's different, Rachel. You'll have to see it for yourself one day when everything isn't crazy."

"Alright, I'll hold you to that."

Jess slightly smiled. "I know you would… Do you mind if I come and watch the game with you?"

"No by all means come and sit with me." The pair smiled and headed into the stadium.

Later after the game Harry walked to Dumbledore's office. He climbed up the winding staircase and knocked on the door. "Come in." Rang Dumbledore's voice from the other side.

Harry stepped in. "You wished to see me sir?"

"Ah, yes I did. Do take a seat."

Harry sat down opposite Dumbledore. "What did you want to see me about sir?"

"I think I have a lead on one of the horcruxes. The locket I mentioned to you, I think has been found."

Harry sat up straighter in his chair. "Should we go and get it then?"

"Yes Harry, in time we will go together and get it."

"In time? Sir, shouldn't we go and get it now?"

Dumbledore smiled softly at Harry's eagerness. "It will have to wait a little while."

"When?"

"I was thinking after the Quidditch matches are over."

"Sir but that's three weeks away!"

"Which will give us plenty of time to discuss how to go about this." He butted in.

"How do you suggest we do this, sir?"

"That I'm not sure of. I was hoping if I told you now, you could help me think of how."

Harry blinked, "Uh, sure."

"Do not doubt yourself Harry."

"I won't sir…"

"I think that will do for now."

Harry nodded and stood from his chair. "When would you like my idea by?"

"As soon as you think of it."

"Right." Harry nodded and headed back for the door.

Jess sat with the Ravenclaw's and cheered their team on, not that they needed it. They beat the Hufflepuff team easily, not breaking a sweat. Hufflepuff was guaranteed fourth place. After the easy victory Jess parted away with Rachel and went back up to her room.

The following week was very tense between half of the student body. The air was so tense you could slice it with a knife and serve it on bread. The next match would determine the rest of the Quidditch tournament. It was the much anticipated match, Gryffindor vs. Slytherin. Both of the team's captains were hard at work, making sure their team was the strongest. It was an extra incentive to beat Slytherin for Harry and Ron due to the events that had unfolded last week. They were going to grind Malfoy into the dirt and make Jess realize what scum he really was. The entire week Jess hardly saw any sign of all three of them, Draco being included in the three. She sighed, not letting it bother her as much as it usually would. Hermione kept her preoccupied with homework. At least homework had some other purpose. Jess diligently worked on it, much resembling Hermione in her ways. Neither of them came out of the library often, only for meals, sleep and actual classes. The rest of their time was spent in the library. It would have driven someone with lesser heart insane, but not those two. It was the perfect distraction they needed from the rift between the golden troop as well as the oncoming threat of the war. When it came to judgment day, Ginny had to drag both girls out to watch the game.

Hermione protested the entire way. Jess on the other hand was rather numb and went along without much resistance. Ginny plopped them down next to Hagrid and hurried back off to the locker room. Hermione huffed and opened a book while they waited for the game to begin.

Fifteen minutes later both teams came out. Draco had his usual. 'I'm better than everyone else' and 'I'm pissed off at the world' simultaneously loon on. Harry and Ron looked agitated but determined. Madam Hooch released all of the balls and the game was on.

Ginny was the first one in possession of the Quaffle, but it didn't last long as one of the Slytherin chasers slammed her into a wall of the pitch. She coughed up the Quaffle and the chaser chucked it down the field to his fellow teammate. Ginny shook it off quickly and followed after him.

There was a lot of pushing and shoving, not to mention dirty play. Both sides gave it their all and there wasn't a single score in the first half hour of the game. Ron blocked the goal valiantly. He threw the Quaffle away and beaned one of the Slytherin beaters in the head with it. Crabbe being the recipient of the blow lobbed a hit on the bludger that sent it sailing towards Ron at top speed. Ron didn't see it coming as it hit him squarely in the stomach. He was knocked off his from and fell into the sand below the hoops.

The crowd booed and hissed loudly. Madam Hooch didn't call it a fowl, claiming it was probably on accident. The Slytherin section of the crowd cheered with delight, while Ron was down one of their chasers shot the Quaffle through the center hoop. That was the first goal of the game. The Slytherin crowd erupted into cheers as the Gryffindor crowd was enraged.

Slowly Ron sat up. He coughed and pounded his chest, trying to regain proper breathing. "TIME OUT!" Ginny yelled loudly. "He can hardly move!"

Harry looked down briefly to see his best friend on the ground. Ginny was yelling trying to get his attention. Since only he was able to call a time out, unless he was passed out. Harry swooped down to the main play of action. "TIME OUT!" He yelled loudly.

Madam Hooch blew her whistle. "Two minute time out."

Hermione was erect and peering down onto the pitch. "Ron get up!" She yelled encouragingly.

Jess sighed and shook her head. _Draco should have better control on his team_, she mentally noted to herself.

Draco looked down to see what was going on. His hair blew stiffly in clumps in the wind, due to the gel in his hair he used to slick it back. Weasel was down on the ground fallen off his broom. "I'll have to congratulate whoever did that later." He smirked and hovered above the main action.

Harry and Ginny landed and quickly rushed over to Ron. At least he was sitting up on his own. "What happened?" He asked blankly.

"You hit Crabbe with the Quaffle as you were throwing it. So he sent a bludger full force in your direction." Ginny told him.

"Did anyone score?"

"Yeah, they managed to score while you were down. No one blames you Ron. That was a hard hit."

Ron pushed himself up quickly. He grabbed his broom. "Bloody gits!" He shouted as he mounted his broom. "That won't happen again."

"Ron! Maybe you should rest a minute. Right Harry?" Ginny looked his way.

"She's right Ron. We still got a minute left. Just relax." Harry suggested calmly.

Ron wouldn't hear anything of it and quickly flew back up to his post. "Game on." Madam Hooch blew her whistle and the game was back on.

After that not a single goal was scored. Ginny was more than frustrated. She tried her best to score but she couldn't get it past the keeper. It was up to Harry, yet again to save the day.

Harry scanned the area, blinking half as much as a person normally should, the game wasn't going well below and ne knew it. He quickly glanced over at Draco to see him looking around as well. In the blink of an eye the snitch was near Draco. Harry blasted ahead at full speed. They were neck and neck as they barreled down the pitch. The pair came dangerously close to the turf, but neither cared. Draco extended his arm. Since they both had gone through puberty, Draco ended up the taller of the two, giving him longer arms to reach with, giving him the advantage. Harry knew it, Draco was going to catch it, Slytherin was going to win.

"NO!" Ron shouted as he grabbed his teammate's beater bat and swung as hard as he could. The bludger crushed Draco's hand on impact. Draco recoiled in pain at the last minute, giving Harry the chance to catch the snitch. Harry grabbed it mangling its delicate wings in the process. The game was over, Gryffindor won.

The Gryffindor's roared in approval. A round of 'Weasley is our King; was sung at top volume. Both teams landed. Harry and Ron were hugged by the other members of their team. Ron then walked over to Draco. He spat at the ground right by Draco's feet. "Serves you right. Jess will see how much of a loser you actually are."

Draco's head snapped up as he growled. "Leave her out of this."

"I don't know what you did to her but it's over now, ferret. Go back to hell where you came from."

Draco took his good hand and decked Ron right in the face. "Piss of Weasel."

Ron lunged and tackled Draco to the ground. He had the upper hand since he had broken one of Draco's hands with the bludger. Harry, not feeling sorry for Draco, held him down for Ron.

Crabbe and Goyle soon noticed and came tromping over. Soon, both teams were involved with beating the tar out of each other. Ginny slugged a punch at the annoying chaser before trying to break up the fight.

"HARRY! RON! STOP IT!" Jess screamed while running onto the pitch. She pushed Harry's arms off of Draco and shielded him, knowing that Ron wouldn't punch her.

Ron stood up quickly. Blood was running from his nose. "I see how it is. You've picked sides. Choose the bloody ferret. See what I care!" He yelled before storming off.

Jess looked up at Harry, tears in her eyes. He looked back at her, regret filling every pore. "I'm sorry Jess." He placed a hand on her shoulder. "I don't know if you'll ever get him back."

"What? Just because he's a thick headed git! This is his fault!"

"I don't know what to say Jess." He walked off and followed Ron.

In that one exchange she lost both Harry and Ron as her best friends. Tears began to flow freely down her face. She looked down at Draco and helped him up to a sitting position. Everyone would know about them now. Draco smoothed her hair with hid good hand and kissed her cheek. "I'm so sorry." He whispered softly in her ear.

Hermione came over, along with Rachel. Both girls helped the pair up. Rachel hugged Jess tightly. "Harry will come around hopefully."

Jess sniffed, not up to saying anything. Draco put his good arm around her. "Jess, forgive me?"

She looked up at him. "Of course." He then kissed her softly on the lips as the four went up to the castle.

Harry stormed up to Dumbledore's office. He opened the door before Dumbledore said come in. "How long did you know about them; and why didn't you stop them?" He asked impatiently.

"By them I'll assume you mean Miss. Anderson and Mr. Malfoy." Dumbledore replied calmly.

"Yes that's exactly who I mean." He stood, staring at the headmaster.

"I do believe he had changed Harry. That what they have is pure and true."

He sighed and sat in the chair. "I was afraid you'd say that."

"Why afraid, Harry?"

"He's just going to hurt her. Nothing good will come from it."

"That, I believe you are wrong about."

"How? How am I wrong?"

"They have both grown stronger Harry, together. They remind me of a couple like them that didn't turn out. In the end the one died, and the one has never been the same since. I believe they are meant for each other."

"Other couple? Sir, what are you talking about?"

"Many years ago there was a muggle-born Gryffindor witch, and a half-blood Slytherin boy, who also got involved with the dark arts. He chose them over her, and the girl died. The boy has never been the same since. That reminds me of Miss. Anderson and Mr. Malfoy's situation, though I do hope it turns out better."

"I'm not going to let Jess die because of him." Harry stated firmly. "Just because Ron abandoned her doesn't mean I'm going to."

This brought a smile back on the headmaster's face. "I hoped you wouldn't follow Mr. Weasley's course of action."

"I'm mad about it sir, and I don't want her with him, but I can't disown her like Ron did. I dated her, I _loved_ her the day Malfoy apparently does now. She'll always be, along with Ron and Hermione and Ginny, one of my best friends."

"Perhaps you can influence Ron to see the error of his rash decision."

"I doubt it sir. Ron was already leaning that way before what happened today."

"Alas what a shame. I am glad she will at least have you, along with Miss. Granger."

Harry nodded and stood. "Goodnight, sir." He walked to the door and opened it and walked through it, just before the door clicked Dumbledore warmly said.

"Goodnight, Harry."

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For some reason, the thought of Draco singing Disney songs cracked me up. It made me laugh so hard that I just had to put it in here. Now you all know my favorite Disney movie is Aladdin. :) I think Ron's reaction was quite accurate. He would go over the top I think, with the yelling and shouting. And I can also see him trying to beat the snot out of Draco. The tension is mounting, and with only one chapter left to go I think you guys know what is coming! Well, you have a vague idea. You don't know how I'm going to twist the ending though. That's for me to know and for you all to find out next time in the last chapter! Until then!


	65. The End of an Era, Beginning of the War

Hello everyone! We have finally made it to the LAST CHAPTER! I never thought I'd see the day... Not this soon anyway. Before I let you all delve in for the last time of this segment, I would like to thank EVERYONE who has read ANY bit of this story, has reviewed, favorited me, or my story, or has it on alert. Thank you all for sticking with me this far! I will have a note at the end regarding what happens next. Without further delay, I do not own Harry Potter! I do however own Jessica Anderson, and my plot twists.

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Sunday morning Jess woke up late. She sat in bed for a while, trying to pass the day, or as best she could. Around noon Hermione came over and suggested they go outside or to the library. "No thanks, I'm going to stay here." Jess replied while rolling over.

"Jess, you can't avoid what happened yesterday. It's done and over with."

"That's easy for you to say. You didn't lose half your friends yesterday!" Jess shouted while standing up. She grabbed a change of clothes and went into the bathroom. Ten minutes later she emerged and quickly grabbed her wand.

"Where are you going?" Came the motherly voice of Hermione."

"Out." Jess shut the door behind her.

"Jess wait!" The bushy haired girl ran after her. "Where are you going?"

"I told you, out."

"Out can mean a lot of places."

"You can figure it out then. Don't follow me." She stalked out of the common room, leaving a worried Hermione behind.

Jess walked outside, hardly a soul was out there. "Must be at lunch." She continued walking until she stood right outside the forbidden forest. The wind picked up and tossed her russet brown hair around. Taking a deep breath, Jess closed her eyes; a smile crept up on her face. Long had the woods been personified as a peaceful place to seek refuge. Also as a place where magic happens. A classic example of that was Jess' favorite playwright, William Shakespeare's _A Midsummer Night's Dream_. She definitely bought into the first depiction of the woods. Back at home she had a small little wooded area behind her house. In the summers it had been a calming place to escape to. Right now, the forbidden forest looked more than welcoming. This was what she thought as she took her first step in. "I hope I don't get eaten by anything." She murmured to herself while taking another step in. Jess turned to look at the exit of the forest. "It's either turn back now or go further in." She stood there motionless for a moment while she thought. Her next step would determine her direction. Slowly Jess raised her foot and then planted it back on the ground, moving deeper into the forest. Her next few steps were quicker as she soon disappeared behind the trees.

Hermione decided to leave her alone for the next couple of hours, before starting to look for her. Her first stop was the library, where she searched every nook and cranny to no avail. Next she checked the owlery, then the astronomy tower. Hermione then went back to their room just in case she had come back. There was no sign of her. She sighed and checked Hagrid's, nothing. Finally Hermione Granger turned to her last resort, Draco Malfoy.

Draco was walking down the hall when he noticed Hermione coming towards him. His eyebrow rose in curiosity when she stopped in front of him. "To what do I owe the occasion?"

"I'm looking for Jess and I've checked everywhere. Have you seen her?"

"Afraid not, though I was hoping to. And you're sure you've checked _everywhere_?"

"Yes, Malfoy, the library, owlery, astronomy tower, Hagrid's Great Hall, Room of Requirement, all of the classrooms. Or is that not thorough enough for your liking?" She bit back sarcastically.

He looked a little surprised. "She's not in any of those places?"

"No."

"Hmm, I doubt she went to Hogsmeade."

"So do I. What to you suggest, Malfoy?"

He pawned off on her the book he was reading. "Return this to the library for me. I'm on it." Draco then quickly left down the hall.

Hermione blinked and looked down at the book now in her hands. "If only Ron and Harry had seen _that_ side of him." She sighed and went to return his book.

Draco ran outside and scanned the area. "Granger said she wasn't at Hagrid's." He looked over at the Black Lake. "Not there either." Like it was a slap in the face, Draco looked ahead of him into the woods. "There we go, but why? Merlin I hate those bloody woods." He grumbled as he trudged into them.

Jess was sufficiently lost among the thick layer of trees. "Great, oh well it's quite the adventure." She looked to her right and saw the trees thinning slightly. "Hmm, that way." She started to walk over, thinking she was close to the exit. About a half hour walk later she came to a clearing. The grass was lush and green and felt like a soft pillow underneath her feet. Jess carefully removed her shoes it now being May, she wouldn't freeze. The grass felt cool in-between her toes as she walked around. Right in the middle of the clearing there was a decent sized pond of water. As her eyes scanned the pong a small gasp left her lips as she saw two magnificent creatures congregated around it. "Unicorn's." She whispered, barely audible.

There before her were two unicorns. The one was full grown, the other half its size. It looked like a mother and her foal. The mother was pure white while the foal was a blend of silver and gold. Jess noticed that the mother wasn't budging from the foal's side. She looked over to the foal to see thick silver blood around its left back leg. Jess silently approached, making herself look small and non-threatening. The mother turned around apprehensively and got ready to leave.

"No, don't leave. I won't hurt you." Jess said softly while holding out her hand. She stopped a few feet short of the pair, not wanting to encroach on their personal space. The mother stared her down, convinced she was going to hurt her foal. The foal on the other hand was like most children was naïve and approached her. Jess didn't move, letting him come to her. The foal nuzzled at her hand and Jess couldn't help but laugh. She petted the velvet soft nose of the foal with a wide smile. The foal whinnied in delight as the mother slowly approached. Jess bent down and looked at the foal's cut. "He must have run into something while trying to get away." She said to herself. "It's alright little one, I'll take care of it." Jess ripped off a piece of her sleeve and pointed her wand at it. "Aquamenti." A steady stream of water jetted out of her wand and dampened the fabric. She used the counter spell and then dabbed the cloth on the cut. Jess then tightly tied the cloth around his ankle. "There, good as new."

The foal pushed his snout into Jess' chest in appreciation. She laughed again and stroked his mane. "You're welcome." Jess looked over to the mother who in an instant liked her a hundred times better. She calmly approached Jess and bent her head so Jess could pet her. "It was no trouble." Jess murmured as she lightly petted the mother's nose. "You are beautiful. I wish I could be as beautiful as you." She whispered softly as she kissed the foal's neck. "And you'll be just as beautiful. I'm sure of it." Jess smiled and began walking around the clearing. "I wonder if Hagrid knows about this place. He probably does. I mean how could he not? I wish I would have found it earlier." The foal followed her around happily, his mother now feeling much more at ease. Jess turned around and smiled. "Looks like I've found a new friend." The foal butted its snout into her hand. She laughed lightly as she ran a hand down his back. "I'll definitely have to come back."

Draco meanwhile was having a difficult time finding Jess. He looked high and low in the dark forest but still found nothing. "Either she's out of the forest by now, or she hides very well." Draco stood still and thought of how he was going to decipher is she was there or not. He gripped his wand and raised his arm into the air. "Pericculum!" Red sparks shot off high into the air so that Jess would be able to see them.

She turned and noticed the red sparks. "Hermione probably sent Hagrid looking for me." She rolled her eyes. "Well then." Jess dug out her wand. She slowly petted the foal's neck. "Not don't run off on me." Slowly she raised her arm with wand in hand. "Pericculum!" The red sparks shot off into the air.

Draco looked overhead and faintly saw the sparks to his right. "She's still in here then. Why, I have no idea." Draco turned his bearings to the right and continued his trek.

Jess walked over to the pond and looked in. Little fish swam about happily in streaks of brown and red. "Fish? How did fish get in here?" She sat down and placed her feet into the water. A slight shiver crawled up her spine. "Still a bit chilly." She swung her feet around in the water, scaring the fish off from biting her toes.

"The trees are thinning out." Draco mused out loud as he followed the thinning trees. About ten minutes later he stood out at the edge of the clearing. "Huh, that's weird." He took a few more steps and noticed Jess' socks and shoes. "Ah, so she's here." Draco walked up to the edge of the pond behind Jess. He smirked as he crouched down behind her and covered her eyes.

Jess felt a cold hand slink around her eyes and cover them. A small gasp chocked out of her throat. "W-who's there?" She managed to say.

Draco didn't respond but placed a soft kiss on her neck. His hand came off her eyes and both arms slid down to gently rest on her shoulders. "I found you." He murmured before kissing the other side of her neck.

Her body instantly relaxed. Jess' head turned to face him. "Draco! I thought Hagrid would be the one looking for me."

"That big oaf has no idea you're out here. Granger-"

"Hermione." She corrected.

"Her-mi-one" he stressed every syllable, "told me she hadn't seen you in a while; and that she had checked all around for you. I being the concerned boyfriend I am decided to start looking for you."

"Oh I'm flattered." She rolled her eyes.

"You should be."

"Oh, shut up."

He feigned mock hurt. "That got me, right here." He motioned to his heart.

"You mean you _have _one?"

"_You_ of all people should know I _have_ one." He replied back testily.

Jess fully turned around. "I know you do, and it's as big as mine." She placed her hand on his cheek.

"Why are you so hard to stay mad at?" He asked, a smile starting to form on his face.

"I'm not sure." She shrugged and stood. "Look what I found." Jess motioned over to the unicorns, which were now a bit stand-offish, due to Draco's presence.

Draco looked over. "Unicorns." He rolled his eyes.

"What?"

"Only _you_ could go into the forbidden forest and find _unicorns_. No, you could have easily run into a werewolf, troll, a vampire even but no, what do you find? Unicorns."

Jess couldn't help but break out into a fit of laughter. "That does sound a bit ridiculous doesn't?"

"Very."

"Stay here."

"Alright, where are you going?"

Jess walked over to the pair of unicorns. She smiled over at the foal and kissed his velvet nose. "I want you to meet someone." Jess led him over to Draco who remained still. "This is Draco, he's a friend of mine."

"Friend," he questioned.

"Boyfriend." She corrected. "Draco, hold out your hand."

Draco did as he was told and extended his long arm. The foal looked at it for a moment before gently nudging it. Draco slowly moved his hand to the top of the foal's head and petted him.

"See, he's not scary." Jess grinned and kissed Draco on the cheek. 'Unicorns are more prone to witches than wizards."

"I see."

"Look, his mother is relaxing a bit."

"Well at least one species doesn't deem me evil."

"Oh hush." Jess kissed him again before rolling up her pants to her knees. She walked over with the foal into the pond. "Coming Draco?"

"I don't want to get wet," he replied.

"Oh come on!"

"No."

"Draco" she whined.

He sighed and rolled up his pants and walked in. "Happy?"

"Yes, very." She grinned as she splashed him.

"Hey!" Draco smirked and splashed her back. The pair chased each other around. The foal neighed and followed them around. Draco's shirt was drenched, as he peeled it off and revealed his smooth, toned chest.

"Wow." Jess remarked as she looked at him.

"What?" One of his eyebrows was raised.

"I forgot how good you looked without a shirt on."

"How could you?"

She laughed, "It's been a long time." Jess walked over and flicked a drop of water off of a lock of his now slightly darker platinum blonde hair, due to the fact that it was wet.

"Mmm, yes it has." He wrapped his arms around her and pulled her in for a deep kiss.

Even after being together for a few months, after kisses like that Jess slightly blushed. She looked up at Draco with a smile. "Now aren't you glad you came to find me?"

"I'm very glad I did."

"We should probably get going."

"Yeah before Gran- Hermione has a fit."

Jess kissed his cheek. "She'll probably be worried." Jess and Draco then said goodbye to the unicorns. Jess leaned her face against the foal's neck and whispered. "We'll come back someday." She turned to see Draco had his shirt back on and was using a drying spell. Jess did as well and the pair walked back to the castle.

The week went by uneventfully. Ron and Harry kept up being mad at Jess the entire week. After the first few days, the worst part of it was, Jess got used to it. She didn't even try to talk to either of them. Hermione was worried about her and wondered how long this could continue peacefully.

At the end of the school week, when Ron was nowhere in sight, Harry approached Jess. "Hey Jess." He had kept his distance in respect to Ron.

Jess turned and looked at him in shock. "Harry??"

He smiled weakly. "I'm sorry that I didn't talk to you sooner. I still plan on staying one of your best friends if you can forgive my absence over the last week."

"Of course Harry." She smiled wide, tears started to form in her eyes as she gave Harry a big hug. "Glad to have you back."

Harry smiled as well. He had missed her over the week. "I have some news about the horcruxes I'd like you two to hear." He looked at Jess and Hermione. They nodded and followed Harry down the hall.

That night Draco found a replacement seeker for the match against Hufflepuff the following day. Professor Snape wanted to talk with him about his progress. Draco know this would be more than a short meeting and decided he would fake being sick if need be. Not that he would be needed tomorrow. His team was more than equipped to beat Hufflepuff without him. He wasn't concerned in the slightest.

Saturday afternoon Draco spent with the potions professor. Mostly they discussed that the time was coming near, that Dumbledore was in his last couple weeks of living. Draco tried to convince him otherwise, he didn't want to betray jess. Smoothly, Snape convinced him that everything was going to be just fine. There was nothing to worry about. Draco only hoped he was right.

After the Slytherin's win against Hufflepuff, it was decided which two teams were the bottom two. The 23rd of May would be the third and fourth place match, Ravenclaw vs. Hufflepuff. The day after would determine the winner of the house cup, Gryffindor or Slytherin.

The 23rd came and the match was held in the early afternoon. Gryffindor students attended out of courtesy. Jess sat next to Rachel in the Ravenclaw section of the stands to help cheer them on. Hermione and Gunny joined her as well. Ron was off else ware and Harry was nowhere in sight.

"Sir, are you sure we should do this now?" Harry asked Dumbledore.

"Yes Harry I think now is the prime time to destroy the horcrux." They were outside the Hogwarts perimeters, close to Hogsmeade. "Are you ready Harry?"

"Yes, sir I am." With that Dumbledore had Harry grab tightly onto his arm and apparated else ware.

During the game Draco was in the Room of Requirement. He held a two sided coin in his hand. All he would have to do is give the Death Eaters the signal of when to come in. Then he could step aside, grab Jess and make sure she wasn't in danger and run away. So they could be together. Yes this sounded like a good plan. Draco stepped out of the Room of Requirement later on in the evening around dinner time. "I should have enough time to grab something to eat." He walked towards the Great Hall. A cold hand reached out and grabbed his shoulder from behind.

"Draco, it's time." Professor Snape replied cooly.

"Now sir?"

"Soon, come with me."

Draco followed him down to the dungeons. There they waited until Dumbledore's return. A few hours later Snape stood. "Signal for them, they follow me."

Draco touched the coin with his wand and one side of the coin changed. He then stood. "Sir, I want to make sure Jess is safe."

"We don't have time for that. Dumbledore will be back very soon."

"Sir I don't understand. I thought you were going to take care of this."

"No Draco, it's up to you. Quickly now, up to the roof." He gave Draco a strong shove out the door.

Draco ran to the roof, his legs heavy as lead. "How did I get suckered back into this?" What he worried most about was what Jess would think. He had told her, he wouldn't do it, but now he was forced to. He wouldn't actually do it though. Draco could easily pawn it off on an eager Death Eater. He would just need to make it seem to Voldemort that he did it and make known to Jess that he hadn't. He ran up the last staircase and emerged on the roof out of breath.

Dumbledore looked terrible, and much older than he usually did. He looked tired and worn, like an old grandpa who just wanted to rest in his rocking chair. The dark mark was a large green haze in the sky. _Snape must have set it off_, Draco mused quietly as he looked at the lonely professor. That was odd; someone else had to be there. He couldn't see Harry, stunned under his invisibility cloak. This all happened in a few seconds before Draco quickly shot off a spell. "Expelliarmus!" Dumbledore's wand flew out of his hand. He looked suspiciously at Dumbledore. "Who else is here?"

"A question I might ask you, or are you acting alone?" Dumbledore asked far too calmly.

Draco thought for a brief moment before answering quickly. "No, I've got backup. There are Death Eaters in your school tonight."

"Well, well, very well indeed. You found a way to let them in, did you?"

"Yeah, right under your nose and you never realized!"

"Ingenious. Yet… forgive me… where are they now? You seem unsupported."

"They probably met some of your guards. They won't be long though. I went on ahead of them. I- I've got a job to do." Even now, Draco doubted his actions. Was he stalling or was he actually going to do it?

"Well, then you must get on and do it, my dear boy." Dumbledore replied softly. Draco pointed his wand but did nothing else. "Draco, Draco, you are not a killer."

"How do you know?" Draco asked at once. He got irritated by the patronizing look Dumbledore had. "You don't know what I'm capable of. You don't know what I've done." In truth he didn't. If he had, Dumbledore would have made sure he never was with Jess. After all Draco's persona was that of a heartless and cruel young adult. And he couldn't shake it off. Only one person had been able to shake it off and she wasn't there.

"You managed to introduce Death Easters into my school, which, I admit, I thought impossible… How did you do it?" But he got no answer from Draco. "Perhaps you ought to get on with the job alone. What if your back up has been thwarted by my guard? As you have realized there are members of the Order of the Phoenix here tonight too. And after all, you don't really need help… I have no wand at the moment… I cannot defend myself." Draco just stared at him. He didn't want to do it. "I see, you are afraid to act until they join you."

"I'm not afraid!" Draco yelled, Dumbledore didn't understand what he risked here. He risked the one thing in his life he could never live without again. "It's you who should be scared!"

"But why? I don't think you will kill me, Draco. Killing is not nearly as easy as the innocent believe… So tell me while we wait for your friends… how did you smuggle them in here? It seems to have taken you a long time to work out how to do it."

Draco didn't want to talk any small talk anymore. He dropped his arm to his side. "I can't do it" he murmured to himself as he went to turn.

"What was that, Draco?"

He gave him a look of disgust. Draco heard people coming and quickly raised his arm again. Death Eater's poured out onto the roof. The last of them was Snape. He said nothing and pushed Draco roughly out of the way. Snape gazed for a moment at Dumbledore, and there was revulsion and hatred etched in the harsh lines of his face.

Dumbledore's voice pleaded with him softly. "Severus… Please…"

Snape raised his wand and pointed it directly at Dumbledore. "Avada Kedavra!"

A jet of green light shot from the end of Snape's wand and hit Dumbledore squarely in the chest. Harry's scream of horror, from underneath his invisibility cloak never left him; silent and unmoving, he was forced to watch as Dumbledore was blasted into the air. For a split second he seemed to hang suspended beneath the shining skull in the sky, and then he fell slowly backward, like a great rag doll, over the battlements and out of sight. Snape grabbed the statue-still Draco and ran for it.

Jess was fighting down below with Hermione, Ron and a couple other students as well as their teachers, and members of the Order. She dodged left and right while casting off spells and curses. Two figures ran down from the staircase leading up to the roof. Jess and Hermione ran after them as they blocked spells coming their way. Harry quickly caught up to them and shot out ahead of them.

Snape pushed Draco on. "Get outside of the gates as fast as you can. Then we'll be safe."

Draco ran like he was told to. It felt like all he did throughout the years was run, and was getting sick of it. He looked behind his shoulders and saw a curse land just short of him and Snape.

"Don't look back" Snape ordered.

But he had to one last time. What he saw was the girl of his dreams along with Potter and Granger closing in on him. Jess looked shocked when she noticed who was with Snape. She stopped running and stood there, frozen to the ground below her. Their eyes locked, blue clashing against green one last time. Snape jerked him around as Harry shot off an unforgivable his way. The pair barely missed it and ran outside of the gat.

Jess' world crashed all around her. Her heart was crushed and mangled until it cried out in pain and anguish, tears of blood steadily rolling down her crumpled muscle of love and landing into a puddle of clumpy and thick crimson liquid. After all those times he told her that he was on her side, Draco had tricked her. After he told her that he hated what Voldemort stood for, he betrayed her. After telling her how much he loved her and how he always wanted to be with her, he lied to her. Jess fell to her knees in a heap as the tears started to fall down her face. The last thing she saw of her now crushed and dashed dreams disapparted out of her life right before her very own, blurry, eyes.

* * *

Hopefully this was a satisfying ending for everyone. I have a feleing i'm going to have a few people pissed at me... Well of course I couldn't have it end all happy pappy and mushy gushy! This is the first story! I need to have something interesting for you all to come back to in the NEXT one don't I? Yes that's right, as I have said int he past I am full underway in writing the sequel to this one. I sadly must say that I don't have anywhere near the amount written that I have for this one. This one is gonna be shorter folks... But that doesn't mean I'll write another one after it now does it? I'm not sure when I will be putting up the first chapters of the sequel, as I do need time after this one to regroup, figure out just what is going on and start writing some more. Which I have been doing already, so hopefully it won't be too far off in the future. I must say a big THANK YOU to all of you once more as I am very happy that so many of you have enjoyed this installment of the adventure! You truly are all amazing people. For now I must depart, until we neet again, ta!


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